The Castle Wall
by GeekMom
Summary: The everyday lives of an NYPD detective, a New York Times Best Selling author, their friends & family. Their hectic schedules and what happens when fans cross the line. Set sometime in the fall after "After the Storm" I do not own nor would I ever claim the wonderfulness created by Mr. Marlowe and company. Just taking them out for a spin or two. *Please review. Thanks!
1. Signing

The Castle Wall

Chapter 1

Signing

Richard Castle…Richard Castle…Richard Castle…Rick Castle (just to break it up) Richard Castle. Rick had signed his

name thousands of times. Today, the chore seemed like it would never end. He literally couldn't see the end

of the line. He knew it extended out of the door of the small bookstore. He wasn't complaining, well okay, he was a

little. He really did appreciate his fans; after all they were his bread and butter (he was so bored he even began to

think in bad, overused clichés). He wanted to be somewhere else, not sitting in a corner bookstore in the Village. He

didn't even remember the name of the shop. It was just another in a long line of public appearances. A duty. A

requirement of selling his books. It wasn't that long ago that he lived for events like this. You could meet all sorts of

people and discover their stories. He loved finding out the stories, and if he couldn't figure them out, he'd guess; he

was very good at guessing or, if all else failed, he'd make one up. You never knew who you could meet,

where that meeting would take you, more often than not it would lead to drinks, dinner and then his bedroom, her

bedroom or the presidential suite of an upscale hotel. It just wasn't the same...no, if he was going to be honest, _he_

wasn't the same. He was no longer interested in the meaningless; the quick pick me up one night shots to his ego,

the "not Becketts". That was the gist of it, if the dreamy-eyed, chest heaving, slightly drooling women weren't

Beckett, he simply wasn't interested. He was cordial, friendly and could be a little flirtatious. He also performed everything

else Gina or Paula asked him to, except his heart wasn't in it. He wanted to be at the twelfth. He acknowledged

that his behavior bore a striking resemblance to the poster child for petulance, but as long as he

kept on smiling and signing, he could bide his time. Richard Castle…Richard Castle…Richard Castle… He

casually took a swig of the water bottle provided by the owner of the book shop, and surreptitiously looked down

at his watch. How long had he been here? Only an hour? How could it be that he still had two more hours?! Why

was this signing taking forever? He sighed, audibly. He really only had one answer. He wanted to be with Beckett.

She left the loft early that morning after the call from Espo.

* * *

"Body drop?" he asked from his side of the bed after she hung up.

"Yeah" she yawned.

"I'll just be a couple…" His words drifted back to the pillow his face was buried in. As was often the case, he had a

plot idea in the middle of the night and long experience had told him that he wasn't getting any sleep until he got it

down on paper. In the past, he had tried jotting down the notes, ignoring the idea, even distractions like watching

sit-coms (he recently found _Two Guys a Girl and a Pizza Place on Netflix_) or sci-fi (Star Wars or oh, _Firefly_, he had made

a mental note to meet Joss Whedon someday) or simply browsing the internet, but, in the end, he knew the

quickest way to get some sleep was to give in to the itch and scratch out a chapter or two or twenty. So, Castle got

out of bed at 1:45 and hadn't returned until nearly 6. It was now 6:30.

Beckett leaned over and kissed his cheek, the part of his face not mashed into the pillow. "Sleep. I know you were

up all night. Besides, don't you have a signing today?" Sometimes, she reflected, he looked like such a little kid; hair

rumpled and softly snoring into the pillow. She smiled, left their bed and began to get herself ready for her day. He

grunted conceding her wisdom and relaxed back to sleep. She woke him an hour later with a cup of coffee. "Time to

get up, Castle." she said cheerily.

"I have a few more minutes." He looked cranky. That little boy was surfacing again. Kate smiled, gave him a kiss to

get him through his day and headed to the crime scene. He was only vaguely aware of the closing door as she left.

Castle was deciding if he really did have enough time to sneak a few more moments of sleep, when his

phone rang. He sat up and picked up his coffee and his phone without focusing on the caller ID "You just

can't resist me."

"Actually, I can." Gina Cowell sounded perturbed. Well, that was pretty normal. That was the way she spoke to him.

Gina was his publisher and second ex-wife.

He sputtered his cold coffee on the sheets. "You're not who I was expecting."

"Obviously. Richard, where are you?" He imagined her as he always did, on her phone walking someplace very

important, juggling a coffee, her briefcase, a ridiculously expensive handbag, the phone and her eye rolls.

"I'm at home. Why?"

"Book signing? The Village?"

"I have that down for nine this morning."

"Yeah, it's nine-thirty, now." Gina was a master of staying restrained when it came to speaking to him. He knew

that he annoyed her and she had good reason. While his first marriage had ended because of Meredith, he was

totally on the hook for the end of his marriage to Gina. That didn't stop them from having a good working rapport. A

couple of years ago, they had tried dating again, and although he tried to convince himself otherwise, he was already

too far under Beckett's spell and the renewed romantic relationship with Gina didn't last.

"Nine-thirty? I swear I just looked at the clock and it was seven-thirty. I'll be there in thirty. Sorry, Gina." He quickly

hung up the phone and scrambled to the shower. He skipped shaving to save time, besides, wasn't stubble still

sexy? Fifteen minutes later, he grabbed a cup of coffee and was on his way to the Village.

Gina was waiting for him outside of the shop. So was a line. He paused to apologize again to Gina and gave her a

quick kiss on the cheek, smiled at the crowd and ducked inside. Gina had him set up at a small antique table

surrounded by the latest Nikki Heat novel "Frozen Heat", a latte, a water bottle and an arsenal of sharpies, and she

never forgot the Montblanc pen he favored. A way too young, pimply faced man stood to the left of the table.

Security was embroidered on his blue polo. Rick figured just about anybody who wanted to get to him today, could.

* * *

"Mr. Castle?" Rick had momentarily stopped signing while he was reliving the morning.

Beckett.

When his eyes focused again the young woman in front of him had an interesting expression on her face. It was a combination of

impatience and adoration, not a mix you'd usually see. He grinned, "I'm sorry; I think I left my stove on."

Crickets.

She stared at him blankly, but still, with a high regard he knew he didn't deserve at that moment. He

needed to focus. He smiled and this time, he allowed it to reach his eyes. She caught her breath. Yep. That worked.

"To whom shall I make this out?"

"Alexis", the young woman said shyly, looking down at her fingers.

"Really? My daughter's name is Alexis." A broad genuine smile graced his lips. He loved thinking about Alexis. She

truly was his ultimate source of pride, his best accomplishment. She had turned into a beautiful, intelligent young

woman, despite her father's antics. She was incredible. He had no illusions as to just how implausible an outcome

this was. He was, after all, a large man-child. He loved to play. It was amazing to him that they had made it this far

and so well. He raised her on his own after Meredith, her mother, left him. Meredith needed to "define herself" in

Hollywood and that didn't include their daughter, Alexis or Rick, but it did include her director. Ah, Meredith…

A small, clearing of the throat cough and a stammered response brought him slamming back to the present. "I..I

know." The Alexis in front of him looked slightly uncomfortable. Rick didn't seem to notice, or at least he didn't point it out.

His Alexis wasn't, after all, a secret. He had always guarded her privacy, but when asked, like any proud papa, he would expound

upon her virtues and grace.

"Alexis it is!" He inscribed the book: 'To Alexis – A brilliant woman with a brilliant name. – Rick Castle'. Alexis took it

back from him, "Thank you, Mr. Castle." She smiled a little self-consciously, moved away from the table, and

disappeared into the book store displays. She turned to watch, she was always watching. No one noticed as the

look of pure pride and adoration melted into resentment and hurt while she stared at the brilliant blue eyes from

the self-help shelves to the right of the table where he sat. She heard him say; "Thanks for coming out today.

What's your name?" He was speaking to the bimbo who had stood behind her in the line. What difference did it

make to him what her name was? Why did he constantly hurt her like this? He didn't need to know that woman's

name. He only needed to know hers.

* * *

Castle signaled his security that he needed a break; he had been sitting for nearly two hours. The guard, who had

introduced himself as Billy, came forward to cap the line. Rick announced, "I'll be right back." and headed to the

back of the store. He pulled out his phone and was disappointed that he hadn't received any texts from Beckett or

the boys. So he called.

"Beckett"

"Hey"

"Hey, Castle. Bored?"

He could imagine her face, concentrating on whatever she was doing, but also completely focused on the

conversation. She was a master at multi-tasking. Not a very sexy description, so he didn't pass it on.

"No, not bored, exactly. The people have been fairly quiet, polite and well behaved today." he paused, "I'm just wishing I

was somewhere else."

"Like where?"

"Oh, I don't know,' he threw in a dramatic pause, "there?"

"There's not much to do right now. You'd be bored here, too."

"I could be a distraction." She pictured the unbridled lust that he could summon to his face when he spoke

innuendo. It was his second language. He also had mastered sarcasm and irony. She bit her bottom lip.

"You're always a distraction, but not the good kind." She shot him down.

"Ouch. Maybe I won't come play after I'm done." He said sullenly, a pout appearing on his bottom lip.

"Richard?" She could hear Gina calling him.

"Stop pouting and get back to work. The sooner you're done, the sooner you can annoy me in person."

His lips curled, "It's a date, bye."

"See ya." She put down her phone and let the warm feeling spread from her cheeks throughout her entire body.

Kate took an audible deep breath and looked up to see Ryan and Esposito watching her, with knowing, amused

looks on their faces.

"How's Castle?" Espo asked, barely containing his entertainment.

"Yeah, in my imagination, he's being mauled by hundreds of" he paused as he pictured Castle's fan base, "...adoring fans…

It's a tough job." Ryan couldn't resist getting in on the fun.

Beckett just looked at them, deciding whether to play. "He actually said that everyone was well behaved

today, so sorry Ryan, no mauling."

Kevin looked disappointed and then considerate, "Does he ever have any problems at one of these public

appearances? I mean, he's pretty accessible."

"Not that he's ever told me about. When he first started working with us, we had to go through his fan mail,

remember?" They nodded. "Most of those letters were pretty disturbing. He shrugged it off as an occupational

hazard."

"I guess that would get pretty upsetting if you let it get to you." Espo was thoughtful. Although he had worked with

Castle for over four years now, he realized that he never really thought about that other side to his friend. He knew

of the public persona, but he also knew that was just an image. He silently praised Castle for his courage, in these

days, with the whackos getting bolder; he figured it was pretty risky to put yourself out there. It was a new facet to

Castle he had never considered.

"I pretty sure he doesn't think about it." Kate was saying. "I have to keep reminding myself that he's been doing

this for a long time; I think he's got it down, second nature."

"Is there ever security?" Kevin asked, concerned.

"Yeah, rent-a-cops, mostly. I'll deny it if either of you say anything, but I think Castle could defend himself better

than most of the guards I've seen at his events."

Ryan pursed his lips and Esposito just shook his head. As cops, they put themselves at risk every day to 'serve and

protect'. Castle didn't have to make appearances, they both knew his books would sell if he cut off all contact with

the public, but Castle was truly grateful for his fans.

"Alright, enough of that. Let's see if Lanie has confirmed the knife as the murder weapon." Kate wanted to get back

to work before her own fears for his safety took over. It wasn't the first time she thought about it.


	2. The Hole in the Wall

**A/N – Hi Guys, thanks for checking this out. I'd really appreciate constructive reviews – this is my first adventure in FanFic land. This chapter is more relationships and history, but bare with me, there is some, as my daughter said, "creepy, disturbing stuff "coming up.**

**So grateful for Andrew Marlowe creating the wonderful characters and for the writers for leading us on a wonderful inspiring journey, but no one is mine. **

* * *

Chapter 2

The Hole in the Wall

Gina was directing a young man, a boy really, in packing up. Rick made a mental note to ask her if the help was

getting younger or was she getting ol…then he stopped himself, yeah, no good would come of that and he let it go.

He felt more than a little guilty about showing up an hour late that morning, so he had agreed to stay until the very

end. It was two-thirty in the afternoon. A three hour book signing that was supposed to run from nine until noon

ended up starting at 10 and lasting until now. He was famished. He had missed breakfast and his lunch date with

his mother. She had wanted to get his opinion about a play written by one of her students. Martha Rogers was at

one time a Broadway diva. She now ran an acting school and squatted at Rick's loft. He often teased her about this

living arrangement, but in truth, he valued her help the past few years with Alexis. It had just been Rick and his

mother while he grew up, if you didn't count the nannies, boyfriends and two step-fathers, so he appreciated the

extra hands as he raised his teenage daughter.

He knew of a diner a few doors down and turned to Gina. "Do you want to grab a bite?" She looked up at him from

her schedule on her phone. He was eyeing her expectantly. After all they had been through; he could still influence

her with those blue eyes. She hadn't yet figured out how to defend against the grin and the

sparkle. It was one of the major reasons he was a popular meet and greets. He had the looks, the charm (when he

chose to use it) and the talent. "Stop trying to monopolize my time. I do have other clients." He looked disappointed,

his eyes darkened. She relented, damn it. "Okay, but a quick one." He grinned and sparkled.

"Great! I just need to check on the case and then I'm all yours."

"Lucky me."

Rick opened a text to Beckett as he wandered around the shop. "Hey, you available?"

"Yep" Came the immediate response.

"How's the murder coming?"

"Done." His face fell a little.

"What do you mean, 'Done'?"

"Open & shut. The woman's husband was washing his hands when we arrived, he confessed AND handed us the

knife. He had a breakdown, it was pathetic. Now he's on his way to Belleview. Just finishing up on the paperwork.

How's your day going?"

"Long. I'm going to grab a bite. Did you eat?"

"Yeah, leftovers. I think they were Espo's. ;-)"

"Yum. See you in a bit."

Kate put her phone down and smirked to herself; she didn't really expect him to volunteer for the paperwork.

* * *

The diner was a hole in the wall. Gina made a face when they entered. Rick caught it and he assured her, "Don't

worry. The food is good and the owner is a friend of mine. Besides, I know CPR and the Heimlich; you're perfectly

safe." Gina sighed audibly, as he helped her into the booth. "Richard, it's fine, really. I'm not as hard to please as

you think I am."

Rick settled into the bench seat opposite her. "I never said you were. Well, I probably have, but I definitely don't

think that… well, the majority of the time I don't." He grinned. "The paninis here are terrific." he said, changing the

subject, quickly.

"Hi!" A cheery young twenty something broke into their conversation. "I'm Jessica and I'll be your server today. Can

I get you something to drink?"

Rick turned on his charm, "Certainly. Hi, Jessica, I'm Rick and this is Gina. I was hoping that we'd get to meet you."

She looked up from her notepad and blushed. Gina rolled her eyes. Rick continued, "I'll have a latte and Gina will

probably jump at the chance for a diet coke."

Jessica was surprised by his introductions. Customers in this place generally didn't even make eye contact, let

alone have a conversation and she had never seen a celebrity in here doing both. "Sure," looking to Gina for

confirmation. She got a nod and continued, "Ah…are you ready to order?" she stammered.

Gina, who was watching Jessica slip into the Castle induced blue bedazzled eye trance, spoke up and broke the

spell, "Spinach salad, please."

Rick asked "Jessica, do you still have the chicken breast panini? The one with sun dried tomato and avocado?" She nodded,

clearly having lost her ability to speak. The girl wrote down their orders and headed to the kitchen. A moment later,

there was a loud crash. Rick and Gina and the rest of the diners turned to see Jessica on the floor in the middle of a

pool of diet coke and coffee. Rick went to help her up. He grabbed a handful of napkins and started to mop up the

spilled beverages as he smiled at her and said not to worry. The poor girl was mortified that he had come to her rescue.

He excused himself when she was steady. When he got back to their booth, Gina had a familiar knowing look on her face;

smugly she said, "She's not much older than Alexis."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I was just trying to be helpful," Rick exclaimed. Gina studied him for a moment and re-evaluated.

Yes, there was a difference. She narrowed her eyes. "What's up with you?" she asked.

"Wha..? What do you mean?" Rick sputtered, clearly flustered at her allegation about his intentions and not happy about where

their conversation was going.

"Richard, c'mon, there's something about you. Something different. I can't put my finger on it, but I'll figure it out

eventually, so you might as well just tell me." She eyed him, but if you asked Rick, he would have said that she

wasn't eyeing him as much as her laser eyes were boring into his soul.

His eyes narrowed, "Look, I just was hungry and figured you were too. I didn't imagine you'd be grilling me." He

chortled at his own pun.

"Grilling you?" she asked, ignoring the pun. I can assure you that I have no hidden agenda. I just have a vested

interest in your well being and I'm concerned."

"Concerned about what?" He did a quick mental assessment of himself, his attitude, appearance. He felt great.

Better, in fact, than he had in a long while. Aside from his tardiness, he was her model client.

She took a deep breath. How do you ask if someone is alright because of his _good_ behavior? "Okay, you've

apologized several times for being late, but your head was someplace else totally all morning, and frankly you're not

being … well, lecherous." She got it out fast. Like removing a band aid. "It wasn't that long ago that you would have

come away from a signing like that with a promise or two for rendezvous' and you positively wouldn't have been

having lunch with me in a diner."

He was momentarily speechless by her 'concern', but he quickly recovered. "Gina, there's nothing to be concerned

about." His eyes flashed with humor. "Can't a guy try to improve himself?" He smiled his smile, but it was faraway,

like he was somewhere else, not genuine and not in the moment, and she knew it. "See, you're gone again. I know

you. I've known you for better or worse, remember?"

"I remember on the fifteenth and the thirtieth of every month." he interjected.

"My point is,' she continued, ignoring his interruption, "believe it or not, I want you to be happy. And not just

because when you're happy, I'm happy. I truly do still care for you Richard, even if you don't think I do."

"Happy? I'm happy. I've got every reason in the world to be ecstatic." His eyes danced, what was it? Gina had seen

it before. The electricity behind those eyes reached out to her, displaying all of his secrets. "Oh, my God, You're in

love!"

* * *

In a corner booth of a non-descript diner, a young woman, reading a brand new copy of "Frozen Heat", overheard

the conversation from the two people in the adjacent booth. She stopped reading and listened intently at the

woman's assessment of the man, '"Oh, my God! You're in love!"' She peered around the seat and felt her heart

catch in her throat, her pulse quickening, her mouth suddenly going dry. She was looking at Richard Castle. Her

Richard Castle. The author of her life, her dreams, her nightmares. He had tortured her for so long with his pretense

of not knowing who she was, of not acknowledging her love for him and now this? She had waited for him. Through

all of the women, through his marriages that she knew would fail. She knew every detail, every nuance. She knew

what he liked and what he didn't like. She kept a discarded bottle of his cologne so she could smell his scent.

She knew his addresses and had been to his loft in SoHo and the house in The Hamptons. She'd followed him to hotels

and restaurants. She never missed a public appearance. She waited and watched. She

even waited through the police detective. That was just research, she had assured herself and the research was

paying off. She had never read better work from her novelist. She was so proud. She had seen the two of them together, but it

appeared to be a working relationship, albeit a close one. She was jealous, of course, she always was of anyone

who spent their time with him, but this was too much. She was done waiting.

* * *

Rick smiled, but it wasn't his 'Hi, I'm Rick Castle and I'm going to charm the pants off of you' regular smile. It was

genuine. Gina could see a depth in his eyes. The blue that he could sparkle at will was a deep navy; brimming with

passion. "Wow. It's been a long time since I've seen that look in your eyes. Somebody I know?" Her knowing smile

told him that she had an idea.

"Who?" Rick could never pull off the 'Hey, I'm completely innocent' look, but it didn't keep him from trying.

"Come on Rick, spill." Gina sighed.

"I really have no idea…"

"Beckett?" It was a good thing he wasn't playing poker at that moment. It was written all over his face. He felt his

heart leap and his breath catch at the sound of her name. Gina could read him as well as she read his manuscripts

and she could see he was just aching to shout it.

He regained his composure. "Detective Beckett?"

* * *

Jessica brought their lunch and set the salad in front of him and his sandwich was deposited in front of Gina.

Amusement crossed his face, but whether it was from Jessica's ineptitude or Gina's current line of questioning, was

anybody's guess. "Jessica, are you sure you're okay? That was quite a spill."

"I'm fine, just clumsy."

"Good, when you get a second, could you bring our drinks, please?" Her eyes widened as she realized that she had

forgotten them. Today had gone badly; she was late for her shift and ever since, her day had been off.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Castle." Rick raised his eyebrows. Jessica continued, "I was at the book shop this morning, but I

had to leave because I was already late." She gave him a weak smile hoping he would understand.

He smiled his understanding. "Have you read Nikki Heat's adventures before? And it's Rick." he said, trying to put her at ease.

She lit from within. "Yes! I love all of your books and I usually get them signed. I think you're terrific!" Swoon. Gina rolled her eyes.

"Thanks, Jessica. I appreciate that. I hope you enjoy_ Frozen Hea_t." He was turning back to his lunch when he had a thought,

"Jessica?" Jessica had left the table to retrieve their erstwhile drinks and her head from the clouds but turned back.

"Do you have your copy with you?" he continued.

It took her a moment to realize what he was asking, "Yes, it's in the back."

"Well, bring it out so we can make sure you get your signature." In response, she practically squealed.

"Groupie." Gina said with a grin and a shrug. "Pays the bills."

They switched their lunches and ate in silence, each lost in thoughts of their conversation. Gina was the first to

break the quiet. "Rick, I just want you to know that I'm happy for you." He looked at her. "You deserve to find what

you've been searching for and I truly hope you have."

He was quiet as he nodded and acknowledged her wish.

She smiled at his silence. He was never silent.

"Thanks for lunch, it was good." She slid out of the booth, stopped at his bench, bent and kissed him on the

forehead. He looked up at her, his expression that of a mischievous little boy and totally serious grown man and

she wondered, not for the first time, how he did it. He said "Give me a sec and I'll walk you back."

"Really, Richard? I'm a big girl. Finish your coffee."

He relented. "Okay. Thanks, see you."

"Yes you will, tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" He gave her his best confused, lost, tourist look, "Oh, yeah, right….where was that?"

"The park, remember? The Park after Dark? The Mystery, Mayhem and Murder Convention? She rolled her eyes and

felt her blood pressure rising. He seemed to take pleasure in her exasperation.

Judging from his smirk, he was satisfied with himself. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've got it. I'll see you then."

* * *

The occupant of corner booth left her two dollars on the table and left the diner right after Gina had

gone. It was time.

* * *

**A/N Thanks for reading! I'll try to post chapter 3 tomorrow, but with the Season 6 premiere tonight...we'll see.**


	3. Broad Daylight

Chapter 3

Broad Daylight

When Gina left the diner, she headed back toward the bookshop. Her car was parked in the small lot behind the

store. She walked and checked her messages on her phone, quickly scrolling through and triaging, she could

expertly walk and chew gum at the same time, although in her case her gum was her phone. She came across an

urgent message from her boss and hit his icon to return his call. She listened to his voicemail and returned

his call as she turned into an alley way. "Hey Roger. Just got out of a lunch with Castle. I'll be back at the office in

an hour. I'm on my way to check the setup for tomorrow at the park. Call if you need…" She stumbled and was

going down. Gina was usually very confident on her feet, even when wearing the four inch heels she donned when

meeting with the tall Richard Castle; the heels leveled their playing field, as he was a good six inches taller than

she was. She had no idea how it happened, but she found herself on the ground. She didn't realize that she had

had help. Her attacker had come out of nowhere and plowed into her, knocking her forward onto her knees. She

felt her hair being yanked from behind and then she felt nothing. The assailant repeatedly bashed her forehead into

the pavement. Gina was unconscious in seconds, her cell phone smashed.

* * *

Rick signaled to Jessica that he was ready for their check. She brought it while apologizing for her mess ups and

shyly gave him her copy of Frozen Heat. He brushed her apologies aside saying there really was no problem and

opened her book. He took a moment to compose _"Dear Jessica, I am so pleased to have you as an admirer_

_of my work. You are a charming, bright woman and you really have made my day brighter by your personality,_

_warmth and smile. I hope to see you again, in the future, but if not, have a truly wonderful life. – Affectionately, Rick_

_Castle"_ He did appreciate her admiration and her hard work at a job that most people wouldn't want and to prove

it, he gave her a smile, and a nice tip. He said, "Have a really great day, Jessica." as he gave her back her

book. He got up out of the booth and headed toward the door. There was a lightness to his step, almost a

giddiness. He was done and could go where his heart was. He stepped out of the diner and flipped his coat collar

up against a mid-autumn breeze. He watched as it swirled the ever present mixture of litter and dead leaves

on the street while he hailed a cab outside of the diner and called Beckett.

"Beckett" came the answer on the phone. He could feel his pulse quickening at the sound of her voice. He could

picture her at her desk working on whatever forms she had to fill out. This was a fuzzy area for him, he wasn't

official, and so he couldn't fill out anything officially, consequently he really didn't know what type of paperwork she

did. He only knew there was a lot of it. The down side to being a cop.

"Hey. Just got done. Are you at the precinct?"

"Wow, Castle, long day," she paused, "ya know…for a writer." She heard him give the address to the cabbie.

He chose to ignore the bait. "Yeah, I was an hour late, so I stayed longer. I invited Gina to lunch. You know I have

that park thing tomorrow, right?"

"Park thing, park thing? Oh, the murder mystery writers' thing." She teased, "Yes, actually, I was able to switch with

Karpowski. I'm off and was planning on going. I understand some of the masters of the genre will be there and I

can't wait to see my favorite authors." she continued teasing him. He could picture the smile tugging at corners of

her lips.

"Oh? Anyone I know?" he asked her, hopefully.

"Oh ya' know, Patterson, Connolly…" she drolled. He made a face. He walked into that one. Opened the door, said

'Hey Beckett, here I am.' He was usually quicker than that. She did something to him, to his mind. He was all…

mushy.

"Very funny. Where are you?"

"The precinct. You'll be happy to know that it's been relatively quiet since this morning. You haven't missed

anything."

He smirked, "That's because all the bad guys know that I wasn't available to help."

"Seriously, Castle? Your universe must be a very fascinating place."

"You have no idea, lots of bright colors, oh and squirrels. I'll be there in about fifteen."

"Good! There's still paperwork that needs your proficient writing skills."

"Why, Beckett, you think of me as a proficient writer?" he asked, his voice taunted. He could almost hear her eyes

roll and he grinned, mission accomplished.

He hung up and sighed; content and happy, so engrossed in his mental image of Beckett teasing him, he didn't

notice the ambulance heading the opposite direction.

* * *

Kate's finger hung over his picture on her cell until he ended the call and it was replaced by her wall paper, her '94

Harley Softail. Her mind was racing, but not as fast as her heart. Deep breaths, Kate. Since she admitted her

feelings for him a few months ago, she felt like she had been in a whirlwind. You couldn't exactly call their romance

"whirlwind"; it had taken them four years of disinterest, bad timing, awkwardness and denial to finally give in to

their mutual attraction. He was honest with himself first, but didn't want to push her; he just slowly, deliberately

worked his way from being an irritant under her skin to her partner inside of her heart. No, not a whirlwind, but

that's how he left her, breathless, dizzy, even on the phone. She went to the restroom, splashed some cold water

on her face. If she didn't cool off before he got there, she might just forget where she was and take him on her

desk.

"Kate!" She scolded herself. "Okay, Beckett, get a hold of yourself." She spoke to her reflection. She needed a

distraction. "Baseball." Right? She thought, you're supposed to be able to think of other things, things that didn't

make you focus…focus on his smile, his strength, his masculinity. She felt her body respond to her mental picture of

him. "Augh!" Okay, really focusing now, on something, anything else. She got back to her desk and picked up her

cell phone.

"Hi Dad, it's been slow, so I figured I'd call to see how you're doing." Kate smiled, it felt good to talk to her dad and

she could think of no better distraction than talking to him to keep her mind off of Castle.

* * *

Rick paid the cabbie and got out a half a block from the precinct at the Brew Zoo coffee stand for his standard two

cup order and turned toward his home, well, home away from home. The twelfth precinct had become a second

home to him. It's the place that gave him inspiration, purpose and his love. He loved being there. He made his way

up the steps and in the doors, gave a wave to McElraney at the desk and crossed to the elevator. He pushed the

button, anticipation growing in his chest. The doors would open and he'd see her. He had been seeing her for over

four years, but now she was seeing him, too.

He strode into the bull pen and straight to her desk. She was on her desk phone. He studied her as he handed her

the coffee. She was listening intently, concern and concentration etched in her features. She always had that look

when listening to, well, anyone really. But he could tell this had to do with a victim. There was a caring in her eyes

showing the emotional bond she had with the victims and their families. It was one of the things that made her so

extraordinary at what she did. She looked up at him. What was that look? Compassion? He sat down in his chair next

to her desk to wait until she was done with the conversation, but listened to see if he could figure out that look.

Kate hung up the phone. "Castle, that was Detective Garrett from the ninth. He needs a statement from you."

Castle, who looked like he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar, was startled, "From me? For what?"

She took a deep breath. "You said you'd just come from lunch with Gina?"

"Yeah"

She looked steadily into his eyes. "She was attacked shortly after four in the Village. It looked like a mugging at

first, but no robbery. She's at County. Garrett said he'd meet us there."

"What? Is she okay? She just left me! I..I don't…"

"C'mon. I'll drive you."

They rode the elevator down and quickly got in her cruiser and headed to County Hospital.

Rick was spiraling. "I still don't understand. We had lunch and discussed tomorrow, she left

and then I left a couple of minutes later. Where did this happen? Are there any traffic cams? If it wasn't a mugging,

why would anyone attack her?" She had no answers for him, so she just drove, reached over to squeeze his hand

and said, "We'll figure it out."

She pulled up to the emergency entrance and he jumped out of the car while she went to park. She caught up to

him at admissions. He was pacing in front of the emergency room admissions desk with nervous energy. A sour

looking administrator was explaining that if he was no longer her husband, he couldn't have any information.

Beckett broke in, "Ma'am, I'm Detective Beckett, NYPD." Flashing her badge, "This is Richard Castle. We're

investigating this assault. Please give him the information he asked for." She looked annoyed at being trumped, but

relented. Castle mouthed a thank you at Beckett and they went to find Gina.

They found her in a curtained off area of the emergency wing. She was still unconscious. She had a pallid

complexion, but Rick couldn't tell if it was her injuries or the reflection of the institutional green curtains and

fluorescent lighting. An orderly was cleaning her face. Beckett stopped to ask Gina's condition of a passing nurse.

"I'll get the doctor, Detective." A few minutes later a doctor came to her bedside. "Detective Beckett?" Kate nodded.

"I'm Doctor Mayfair. Ms. Cowell only arrived a few moments ago." He took a breath. "I'm sorry, but we've only just begun

our examination. I really don't have any answers for you, uh, excuse me, who are you?" This last was directed at

Castle, who was standing by the gurney quietly talking to Gina."

Kate piped in, "This is Richard Castle, he's my partner and a friend of Ms. Cowell's"

The doctor continued, "Oh. Well, I'll need to ask both of you to wait until we've finished our exam." Reluctantly, Rick

followed Kate to the waiting room.

"I still don't understand, how this happened in broad daylight, I mean, it's not like that part of the Village is

deserted… maybe if I…" He scrubbed his hand across his eyes and up through his hair and let out an enormous

sigh.

"Castle? You're not blaming yourself are you? You didn't attack her."

"No, but if I'd walked her back, maybe…"

She shook her head. "No matter what you think you could have or should have done, you couldn't have stopped

this." He looked unconvinced, but kept it to himself as she continued. "You may have been hurt yourself. The best

thing you can do for her now is to figure out what happened. If she was targeted, why?"

"And by whom?"

"Or maybe it was random, but then…why no robbery? You don't remember anyone just hanging around?"

"No."

"If there was someone, they could have been waiting for her when she came from the diner."

"Who would target Gina?" He scrunched up his nose at the thought.

"Maybe…"

Their back and forth theory building was stopped by the arrival of Detective Tom Garrett.

Kate waved a hello to Tom Garrett. He had just come from Gina's exam room. Castle stood as Kate made the

introductions. "Rick Castle, this is Tom Garrett." They shook hands. Detective Tom Garrett was perhaps ten years

older than Castle, a little more well-rounded in the gut and had more than a little salt mixed in among his pepper.

His face was lined with experience. Castle judged the detective had seen the good and the bad kind. Garrett had

been around the block a few times.

"Mr. Castle."

"Rick"

"Okay, Rick. Kate tells me that you know Ms. Cowell." Castle noted the use of Beckett's first name. His eyes darted

to her to get a read off of her face. There was her tell. She was looking up at him through her lashes, damn sexy at

any other time, but Rick knew, just from that look, that these two had a history. He blinked his eyes a few times to

get whatever mental images were forming out of his head.

"Yes, Gina's my publisher, my ex-wife and a friend." Garrett started walking and steered Castle down the hall,

leaving Beckett sitting in the waiting room.

"And, you saw her today?"

"Yeah, I met her at the corner book store at Bleeker and Perry. I had a book signing."

"What time was that?" Garrett was writing everything down in a spiral bound pocket sized notebook. It was well

worn.

"Uh…about ten. I was supposed to be there at nine, but was late." Rick told him about the rest of their morning and afternoon at the diner.

"Jo Jo's Diner?" Garrett asked.

"Yeah."

"Great paninis."

Castle grinned. "Yeah, I know. We had lunch, she left and then I left a couple of minutes later, around four." Rick

added, supplying the answer to his next question. "Were there any surveillance cams?"

Garrett's lips tugged upward. He knew all about Castle's ride-a-long deal. "I've got a canvass out."

"Did you notice anyone hanging around, looking suspicious?"

"Detective, there were about six hundred people that came by the shop this morning. After a while, it all kind of

blends together."

"Anything out of the ordinary?"

Rick shut his eyes, trying to remember details. "There were only a couple of wanna bees," he opened his eyes at

the silence and saw Garrett's puzzled expression. "At every public appearance people who want to be writers ask

me to read their manuscripts. If I read them all, that would be all I'd have time to do. So Gina gives them her card

and asks them to submit at Black Pawn. Some people don't like to be put off, but we've got security for those

occasions."

"Did you need security today?"

"Not for the wanna bees, no. We did have a couple of loiterers who were asked to move along. It gets kind of

creepy when they're just staring at you from behind the books or across the store. Freaks me out a bit." He

shuddered.

"How about at the diner?"

His eyes closed again as he envisioned the diner. "Nothing I can think of. We didn't talk to anyone except our

waitress. There were a couple of older gentlemen at a table behind us and one woman sitting by herself," he

opened his eyes, "she was staring at us for a few minutes, but she left before I did."

"She was staring?"

"It happens." He sighed. "See? It gets creepy, sometimes."

Garrett chuckled. "Well, thank you, Rick. I think I have a pretty good picture. I'll be sure to let you and Kate know

what we find out." He shook Castle's hand and walked back to Kate. Rick decided that he was in dire need of

caffeine and went to look for it.

He found something black that might've been called coffee in another century and brought two cups back to

Beckett. He handed her one and sat down next to her.

"Thanks." She said, took a sip and gagged. "Tom filled me in on what they have so far."

* * *

No one remembered the plate number of the vehicle as it sped away and headed west. The shocked crowd's attention was

riveted on the woman who had been run down in the hit and run. Multiple calls for 911 were made from a batch of

good Samaritans. No one knew who she was, but when the police and paramedics arrived, they gathered all of her

belongings which had been thrust from her upon impact. Her purse, containing the various items that most women

carry with them was found twenty-six feet down the boulevard. Her shopping bags were recovered still clutched in

her hands. One contained the fixings for a spaghetti dinner, including a broken bottle of red wine, its contents

mingling with her blood on the pavement. The other held the latest Cosmo magazine, a bunch of fresh cut flowers and an

autographed copy of Richard Castle's "Frozen Heat".

* * *

The doctor finally emerged from the examination room as Kate finished filling in Castle about what Garrett knew so

far. It wasn't much. "She's a lucky girl. Looks like there is just superficial damage; cuts and contusions, no broken

bones. She lost consciousness so we're going to keep her overnight, but currently there are no signs of concussion.

She regained consciousness a few moments ago."

"Can we see her?" Castle asked.

"I don't see why not, but keep it short." They thanked the doctor and headed back to Gina. Rick paused and

composed a calm face before opening the curtain. "Hey." Gina opened her eyes and smiled then winced. "Hey." She

looked like someone had dragged her face on the concrete. He tried not to show it. Gina had always been

meticulous about her appearance. When they were first married it took several painful months for Rick to figure out

that her questions regarding her appearance weren't openings for jokes. "So, if you wanted to spend more time

with me, I'm sure we could've come up with a better way." and then more seriously, "Are you okay? Do you know

what happened? I mean did you see who did this to you?"

"No. I was walking back to my car at the book shop. I was returning a call to Roger and then I was on the ground

and that's all I remember." Kate was writing everything down.

"Ms. Cowell,"

"Gina"

"Okay, Gina, I know you already spoke to Detective Garrett, but I wanted to hear your account too. This doesn't

appear to be a mugging. The officers recovered your purse and phone at the scene. Do you know of anyone who

would want to harm you?" Gina looked thoughtful. Rick held her hand.

"No. I mean, I don't know of anyone. I'm a book publisher, I don't usually make enemies."

"Have there been any manuscript rejections recently?"

"Well, of course, but no one has threatened anything."

"We'll need a list of the rejected authors. Go back three months."

"Okay, but I don't think you'll find anyone." She had looked worried, but then glanced at Castle and smiled "Maybe

it's a crazed fan of yours."

"Very funny." he smirked at her, happy that she still had her sense of humor. "It can't be. All of my fans are well

behaved pillars of the community."

Beckett's eyebrows rose. "Flowers for Her Grave?" She reminded him of their first case together. A

killer was using the same methods Castle had used in his early books to commit murders.

"Well, okay, that was one crazed fan, but he really wasn't a fan, he was just using my books to divert attention to

someone else, so, it doesn't count. No crazed fans!" He looked too smug for his own good.

"C'mon Castle, let's let Gina rest" They said their goodbyes and as they were walking down the hall, "Thanks, Kate.

You didn't have to come down here." Castle was looking more like himself.

"You needed to make sure she was alright, it's what you do." She really did know him better than anyone had

before. He smiled at her, thankful she was there. Kate's phone rang and broke his spell. She turned from his gaze,

"Beckett...okay." She pulled out a notepad and jotted down information.

Castle looked hopeful, "Body drop?" She nodded and hung up her phone.


	4. The Wall

Chapter 4

The Wall

They arrived on the scene of a hit and run a few minutes later. She parked her cruiser and Castle got out immediately. Kate took a moment, as she always

did, to remind herself who she worked for: the victim. She was their voice. She got out of the car and caught up with Castle just as he was ducking under the

police tape held aloft by Officer Torres. "Thanks, Al." Castle said to the cop as he let Beckett through first.

The victim of an apparent hit and run was lying on the pavement. Her body stretched out un-naturally in a K shape. She was dressed professionally, like she

had just come from her job. Her pumps were off of her feet, and her wavy red hair was matted down with the blood that seeped from a head injury. Her eyes

were open, non-seeing, staring at the traffic.

"Hey Lanie, what do we have?" Kate addressed Dr. Lanie Parish, the M.E. and Kate's best friend.

"Hey. Hit and run. Janet Marlowe, twenty-four year old female, didn't know what hit her, but I do." Kate looked around at the scene. CSU was busy marking

evidence, taking pictures and the gathering it up. There was a horrible mess of blood and pavement, the victim's personal belongings and debris that

accumulated on a New York City street. Kate asked Lanie, "Any chance this was an accident?"

Lanie said "I don't think so; the force that she was hit with indicates a fairly high speed and in this traffic..." She indicated the heavy traffic and shook her

head. Kate turned around to find Castle gazing at the victim. She had found that he became quiet and introspective when the victim was younger or reminded

him of someone he cared for.

Kevin Ryan and Javier Esposito came walking up just then.

"Beckett" they said in unison. Ryan continued, "Got a report from the uni's canvassing witnesses,"

Esposito broke in, "There are a lot of them from that café." He pointed to a sidewalk café on the north side of the street.

Ryan picked it up again, "The accounts are all the same: they all say that the car was parked and idling, when she stepped onto the cross walk, the driver

gunned it and ran her down, didn't slow and took off down that alley."

"So someone decided to use a car as a murder weapon." Kate stated. She looked disgusted. "Okay, boys, get whatever traffic cam footage there is. Have the

uni's canvass for the car, although I don't think it will be around here anymore." She sighed, "Lanie, where are her personal effects? Maybe they will tell us

something."

"She had a few bags and her purse. Also, she was carrying a couple of shopping bags. One of them had Castle's latest _and_ it was signed."

Castle, who had been studying the scene, looked up at this. "What? Frozen Heat? Wow. Let me take a look." Lanie uncovered the woman's face again. He

looked doubtful, "I… I really can't say for sure. I just had a book signing this morning, not too far from here. I understand they sold six hundred copies. But I

was at two other book signings earlier this week. I feel awful, but I don't remember her." Castle looked troubled.

"Beckett? How much of a coincidence is it that our victim, who has my book, was killed on the same day that Gina was assaulted?"

She held up a hand. "Castle, let's not make any assumptions."

"Who's Gina? Your ex-wife? What happened?" Lanie was unsurprisingly, inquisitive.

"She's also my publisher. She was attacked this afternoon. She's in the hospital." He had a deep crease between his eyebrows; it appeared when he was deep

in thought or concerned about something.

"Well, you just stay over there then. We don't need anyone else tied to you getting hurt." she tried to provoke him into verbal sparring with her. He

disappointed her. He was too focused on the events of the morning to engage. He pursed his lips and blew out the breath he had held.

* * *

The driver pulled the car to a stop in an alley after several turns and making sure she wasn't followed. She took a deep breath, looked in the mirror, and

rubbed the last of the blood off of her hands. She then turned the wipe to the car. She used it to wipe off the steering wheel, the door

handles and any place else she may have touched. She was aware it would not be productive to have him find out that she had helped him. She knew he

was a strong, proud man and wouldn't accept her help willingly. So she helped him quietly, silently, eliminating all of those little distractions. He would be so

pleased that she was helping him. He could use his time to focus on what really mattered; his work and finally, her. She left the car and headed home,

another productive day done.

* * *

She walked up the stoop to her apartment building, and unlocked the outer door. She stopped in the vestibule, opened her mail box and sorted through the

junk, bills and ads; nothing. Her eyes flashed angrily as she realized that he still didn't answer her latest letter. What was taking so long? How could he ignore

her, still? Didn't he realize what she was doing and what she had done for him? She slammed the mailbox shut and started walking up the stairs. She got to

her apartment door, unlocked it and slipped inside. Her apartment was modest, but tasteful. She didn't have the resources for new furnishings, but she was

still proud of her decorating abilities. It was everything she thought he would like. Browns and deep reds, an overstuffed armchair and, her prized possession;

a writer's desk she had acquired at an auction. It was just right and someday, he would write there, he would love it. She passed through the living room into

a narrow hallway, past the bath to the bedroom. Her bedroom was also decorated the way she thought he would like it; masculine, but not hard. A place for

rest and where she would make sure he was comfortable. Her clothes were on racks along the wall, neatly arranged by color; a rainbow of outfits, picked out

with him in mind. Everything she did was to please him. She walked to the door on the far side of the bedroom, unlocked three locks and swung it open. The

only light was from a small monitor on a table at the back of what was once the bedroom's closet. The picture was of an elegant hallway. She kept a

recording of this hall, his hall, to keep track of where he was, who he was with and to catch a glimpse of him when they were apart. She knew he wasn't due

home yet so she turned her attention to her bookshelf. She turned on the light by the string attached to the bare bulb in the center of the ceiling. She placed

her newly acquired copy of "Frozen Heat" on the shelf next to "Heat Rises". She smiled as she remembered her little joke. She told him that her name was

Alexis. This was the first time for that name. She had used so many in the past. Their game was to pretend her name was a family member's or

friend's names. She pulled a couple of books off of the shelf, opened the front covers. He had signed them to names like Martha and Meredith and today;

Alexis. It was a fun game. She would always get an animated response from him when she used a family name. She was placing the books carefully back on

the shelf when something in the monitor caught her eye. Her pulse quickened; he was home. She watched him exit the elevator but he wasn't alone. The

detective was with him again. This was becoming a tiresome habit. He worked with her. Why did she have to follow him home? She watched the video as he

put his key in the lock. They were speaking to each other. She felt a surge of pride; he was always working. She watched them pause at the door, he

reached for her and pulled her close and kissed her. He left her breathless and then strode inside, grinning. The detective followed and the door closed.

Her world was crashing. He had done it again. He was "involved". It was too much, her heart raced, her breathing was shallow, and her mind spun. She looked

at all the mementos she had so meticulously arranged on the dingy walls of her closet. Candid photos she had taken. Magazine clippings, publicity shots,

newspaper articles even gossip columns, anything that mentioned him or pictured him. She had his books; usually she was first in line. She even had a framed

letter from him. It had come with an eight by ten photo that he had signed. She looked around at all of her treasures and looked back at the deserted hallway

on the video. She replayed his kiss again in her head. She said, "It should be me." so low it could hardly be heard. She tore a magazine cover off of the wall,

"It should be me!" This time she screamed. She couldn't see anything, couldn't feel except for rage. She pulled the books from the shelves and hurled them

across the room. She was pounding her fists on the walls and punched the framed picture. The glass and frame broke and cut her. She howled in pain and at

the unfairness of her life. She slowly realized she was bleeding. She had gone to the bathroom to bandage the cut and then came back to the closet. The wall

was damaged. His photos were dotted with her blood. The books were thrown against the wall. What had she done? She didn't want to hurt him or even

pictures of him, but how could he hurt her? How could he be so blind to her love? Why didn't he just see her? So many questions; all the old questions.

Sobbing, she slowly came back to the present. Whatever the answers were to his betrayal of her, one thing was clear; he'd played with the detective long

enough. She needed to go.

* * *

Castle paid the cabbie and turned to hold the door for Kate. She was so independent that he didn't get to perform this gesture very often. They waved to

Jimmy in the lobby, crossed to get his mail and got on the elevator. They rode the elevator in relative silence. Kate glanced at him, "Are you okay?" He was

deep in thought. "Castle?" Rick turned to her and focused. "Just thinking about how fast your day can change." The elevator stopped and they got off.

"Gina will be fine. She wasn't hurt seriously. She was lucky. Why don't we order in, get a glass of wine and just relax tonight?" Kate was doing her best to

distract him and to bring him out of the funk he was sinking in. As a cop, she had learned how to turn off the day's events. He hadn't quite mastered the

skill yet.

He looked at her in the hallway just as it dawned on him that she was trying to cheer him up and said "That sounds good," he paused as he put his key in the

lock, grinned at her, the grin with the mischief behind his eyes and before she knew it Kate was pulled into a deep, breath taking kiss. He pulled away and left

her dumbfounded in the hall. It had the effect he wanted and she followed him into the loft like a puppy.

The loft was dark, apparently Martha was out somewhere. Kate was glad. Although she loved Martha, it was nice to just enjoy Rick's company alone once in a

while. She stopped in the kitchen and pulled menus from the bookshelf and followed him into his office.

"What do you feel like tonight?" She asked as she walked in to the office. She loved this room. It was totally him; books, light, glass, interesting art, knick-

knacks and toys, there were always toys. He was sitting at his desk, going through the mail. He sorted personal and work. Today he received a large brown

envelope from Black Pawn. He opened it thinking it was something from Gina, but then tossed it aside to be looked at later.

"What's that?" She had noticed the return address.

He made a face, "Fan mail."

"I thought you had a flunky send out autographed pictures." she teased.

"They're not 'flunkies'. For the majority of the photo requests, yes, I have someone else send responses. But every once in a while Black Pawn will send me

the latest, greatest hits. It's kind of a joke, ya know; which of the letters are the most disturbing." She smiled. She remembered the first case they worked

together when they went through his fan mail, boxes and boxes of it. She had asked him if they were always that creepy and he said it wasn't a big deal.

"So, that sounds….interesting." She looked doubtful.

"Actually, it can be. Alexis and I try to picture some of the authors. Maybe we can play after dinner." He waggled his eyebrows at her. "How about Chinese?"

"Sounds good. You order, I'll get comfortable."

A half an hour later she emerged from her bath relaxed, sleepy and hungry. She smelled the delivered food all the way in the bedroom and it made her

hungrier. She came into the kitchen expecting to find him opening a bottle of wine or dishing up the beef with broccoli, but he wasn't. He was on the couch,

his head resting on the back of the cushion. There was a fire in the fireplace. He had the envelope of fan mail, and a glass of wine, and he was snoring. Kate

sighed, and smiled as she remembered his abbreviated sleep last night. She walked over and took the wine glass from him; it was balanced. He didn't even

move. She picked up the envelope to put it on the table, got a throw and put it over him.

She went back to the kitchen and got herself some food and wine and settled in the overstuffed arm chair. She picked up the envelope and fished out a letter

and began to read as she ate.

_ 'Dear Mr. Castle,_

_ I really feel like I know you better than being so formal. So Dear Ricky, You won't mind Ricky. _

_ I read in an article that that was what you want to be called. I just want to say, you're wonderful. I'm fifteen…'_

Kate shuddered and put the letter down. No wonder his ego seemed so inflated sometimes, it was constantly being stroked by people who didn't know him but

who professed to know him and to love him. Yikes. She put the fan girl letter down and stuck her hand in deep, like she was pulling the winning number in a

lottery. This one was still in the envelope. She pulled out the folded piece of paper and a photograph fell out. The woman was totally nude and posing as

Nikki Heat novel cover art. Kate rolled her eyes and then chuckled. "Unbelievable."

She picked out another, promising letter.

_ 'Richard,_

_ I know you are busy, but I'm so disappointed that you haven't taken the time to acknowledge my last several letters. _

_ There is just so much I can take of your unresponsiveness. You have to know that we are meant to be together. _

_ You have to know that I'm not like those others girls, your date of the week. You're just wasting the time that we _

_ can be together. I read your latest manuscript for Frozen Heat and it's your best, so you can stop shadowing the _

_ detective finally. If you're waiting for her, you're wasting more time. She is worthless now; you've used her as much _

_ as you can so just dump her before she traps you like Meredith or Gina. I really wish you would just wake up and see _

_ what's in front of you. How long I've been waiting, watching, keeping myself pure for you. It's really a shame you can't _

_ control yourself, but when we're together that will change. I'll make sure you change. _

_ I'll see you soon. You'll be at a book signing. I already have Frozen Heat, but I know you want to play our little game. _

_ I'll be Alexis this time, that way you'll know me. I don't understand why you didn't react when I told you I was Martha_

_ two weeks ago. Except that you're very good at the game, of course._

_ Until then, my love._

_ P.S. Please don't flirt. I can't control myself when I see you loving other women. I don't like to be angry, but if you persist, _

_ they'll just have to be punished.'_

Kate realized she was holding her breath as she put the letter down. She looked up and saw Castle looking at her. "Kate? What is it? Are you okay?" He looked

at the letter, "Oh, you can't take these seriously. Sorry, I should have warned you."

"Castle, are they all like this?"

"What do you mean?"

"This one is specific, threatening."

"Let me see." He picked it up, read it and made a repulsive face. "Wow! I think we have a winner. Ya know, I think I remember an 'Alexis' from today. Didn't

seem like a psychopath, just a nice girl."

"Have you seen the other letters she was referring to?"

"I don't think so, Charlie only sends the really 'special ones',", he made air quotes, "good and bad. I wouldn't worry about it. You know the psychology; it

would take something significant to have this nut job act on her ramblings."

"I had no idea that this kind of thing was 'normal'," making her own air quotes, "for you. It's frightening."

"It's all part of the price. That's why I make the big bucks, detective". He smiled and went to get himself some supper. "Really, don't worry about it." he called

over his shoulder. Kate just stared at the letter.

"Castle? This hard for me to admit, but I think you're much more well adjusted than I gave you credit. This kind of thing must be hard to ignore or dismiss."

"I'm okay if it remains in the letters, hell; I've even used some of the stuff they write." He looked at her expression, "What?" He came back to the couch, took

the letter and put it back in the envelope. "Sorry I fell asleep, I'm just drained." She was finished with her food so she got up and came to sit next to him.

"Maybe I can help you relax." and she began to kiss his neck.

"You know I'm eating right?" She ignored him. Soon, he ignored his food.

* * *

It was 3:45 a.m. She was watching and waiting. She hadn't seen the detective emerge from Richard's loft. Up until midnight, she had herself convinced that

they were working late, but as it grew later and later she accepted that he was hurting her again, deliberately. She would compose her last letter to him in

the morning. He would have to learn. She would make him learn.


	5. Murder, Mystery and Mayhem

**A/N - Sorry it took so long to update. That darn work thing keeps getting in the way. I hope you like where the story is going. Please review with any suggestions. Your comments help keep me motivated.**

**I bow to the great god marlowe, his muse and minions and pay him what is due.**

* * *

Chapter 5

He was sleeping late. Oh, it felt so good, lying next to Beckett, warm, safe, peaceful, content. Saturdays were nice. He really wasn't awake, but his writer's

brain usually woke up long before he did and eventually drug him out of his slumber. As a result, he woke to a million little post it notes stuck on his brain;

story ideas, notes on a case or even where to go to dinner. He took a deep breath in through his nose and scattered some of those away. He smiled; there

were the scents of coffee, cherries and her. He loved the way that she smelled in the morning, slightly musky mixed with red wine and the scent of the fabric

softener from his sheets and him. She smelled like him and he liked it. He liked that they were so entwined in each other that you couldn't distinguish between

them. He opened his eyes and looked around. There was a cup of coffee on his night stand. She had already been up, but had come back to bed. He rolled

over and enveloped her in his arms.

They woke up entangled, happy and a little bit more than desirous of each other. Castle glanced at the clock by the bed. One? In the afternoon? He blinked

his eyes. "Kate, it's really late!" He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept all day. "Beckett!" he shouted as he was getting out of bed, trying to get his

bearings. She sat up. "What's going on?"

"It's really late, we slept all day. I don't think I've done that since college. You're a bad influence on me, Detective Beckett."

"Ha! I think you have that backwards. Maybe there was something in the wine."

"Go ahead, joke all you want, I'm supposed to be at the park in an hour. Gina will kill me if I'm late." He stopped, "Oh, I guess she won't be there." He looked

relieved for a second. "Crap! Paula will be there instead."

"Castle, you go to the park. I'll check on Gina for you and see you later. I've got an appointment uptown and then I'll be at MurderCon."

* * *

He showered and left with time to spare. The event was new and he was asked along with some other authors to come out to meet fans, promote current

works and do a reading or two. Castle was alright with the first two, but contrary to popular belief, he really didn't like hearing the sound of his own voice. He

could do it, and do it well, but it wasn't his favorite thing to do.

The MurderCon was set up by Belvidere Castle, eerie, but the venue set the right atmosphere. He walked around, looking for Paula, his publicist. Gina called

and told him that she had asked her to fill in. Paula was an expert at negotiations and at keeping Richard Castle in line. She scared him. She was, like a lot of

women he associated with, gorgeous, but not as soft as most of his girlfriends or conquests, which is probably why he hadn't pursued a relationship with her,

that and she scared him.

"Rick!" He looked around and smiled. "Hey Paula." He said as he walked up to a table with his books displayed. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and said, "I

appreciate you taking care of this for Gina."

"No problem, sweetie. We take turns holding your leash."

Castle made a face like he tasted something bad, "Ha, ha, you're hilarious." Paula smiled sweetly at him.

"Seriously, how is Gina? And what the hell happened?"

"She seemed to be okay, banged up. The uniforms are saying that it was just a mugging gone badly, but that doesn't sit right with me. Why didn't the mugger

take her purse or phone? Hello, isn't that the reason for a mugging? I don't get it. Roger is sending over any complaints and the list of rejections for the past

three months. The mugging story just doesn't make sense." He continued to stare, going over the case in his mind.

Paula brought him back to the task at hand. "Ricky? Focus. You'll be here, until six and then they need you to be ready to start your reading at seven, over

there…Rick..." He was not really paying attention.

"Sorry, here until six and then a reading…what am I reading?"

"Oh Rick, um, I don't know, maybe your current book?" She sighed. "You're a big boy. I think you can take it from here. Smile, be nice, and flirt with the nice

fans who buy your books. Okay?"

"Uh, yeah, I've got it."

He had a few moments before he had to man the table, so he scoped out the area. He walked around visiting other authors' displays; saw his poker buddies;

Patterson and Connolly, both best-selling mystery authors. "Hey Rick," James said, "How's Gina? I heard about her mugging. It's getting bad when a tough

woman like Gina takes a fall."

Castle smiled, "She's recovering, and I'll let her know you asked about her. Still on for Thursday?"

"You bet, but, I'm winning this week, okay?" Patterson knew it was hopeless, but he had to keep up the bravado.

"You are both wrong, as usual." Mike Connolly interjected as he walked up to his two associates. "I'm way overdue."

"You wish!" Rick valued his friendship with James and Mike. They all were each other's sounding boards and kicks in the ass when they needed it and their

good-natured rivalry was a valued distraction.

"You should invite your detective friend, Castle. I heard she can hold her own at the poker table." Patterson egged him on.

"Ricky, are you still moonlighting?" Mike had often chided Castle to get away from the police work and back to his real job. He couldn't understand the

fulfillment Castle got from helping people by solving their real life mysteries. He probably never would.

"Of course, ya' know, when my time isn't taken up reading my own books and signing my name." He smirked. He knew that this type of event wasn't his

friends' favorite thing to do either, but it was for the fans.

"I'll see if she's available, James. Are you sure you want to unleash that kind of 'Heat' on your poker playing?" He grinned at them, pleased with his word play.

Connolly and Patterson exchanged grimaces and shook their heads. Castle waved to them as he sauntered away sideways while savoring his verbal triumph

with a little victory dance.

As he made his way back to his table, he noticed that there was a line. The nice thing about it was that unlike Connolly's or Patterson's lines, his consisted

mostly of women. He circled around to the back of his line. He liked to walk up from the back; it made the spectators' anticipation palatable once they knew

he was back there. He learned this from Gina, who despite Rick's balking convinced him that his sex appeal as well as his stories sold his books and that he

needed to use what God had blessed him with. At first, he didn't like it; he said it felt like he was prostituting himself for a sale. He tried his best and found

the attention intoxicating. He changed his mind and complied. He liked playing the playboy then, but since Beckett came along, it was all an act. He leaned

forward in line and rather loudly said to the woman in front of him, "Jeez, you'd think that if fans paid all that money for a book, the guy could show up on

time." Sometimes he would get a vague affirmation, but other times, like today, the woman turned around to answer. He liked eye contact. Castle turned on

the inner playboy light as soon as he saw recognition dawn in her face. It was a deadly talent that kept on assuring book sales.

"But, you, you're…" she stammered.

"Hi, Rick Castle. Thanks for coming out today." She was dumbfounded. He was confident and smiling and holding his sharpie poised. "Would you like me to sign

your book?" So. Much. Fun.

* * *

Kate drove her cruiser uptown to Black Pawn Publishing. She had an appointment with Roger Davies, the chief executive officer of Rick's publishing house and

Gina's boss. Castle had told her not to worry about the fan mail and that it usually was unsettling so, really this letter wasn't unusual, but Kate had a

wrenching feeling in her gut and wanted to see if any other letters came from the same fan as she had stated in the letter. She was looking for specific

threats against either, Castle or Gina and she also wanted to see the list of authors Gina had rejected.

"Detective Beckett?" Roger Davies extended his hand as she crossed his elegant office. Kate shook it with her right and showed her credentials with her left, a

well-practiced move. "It's good to finally meet Castle's muse." Kate gritted her teeth and ignored the term. Davies gestured towards a chair and Kate sat

down opposite him.

"I appreciate your meeting with me on a Saturday, Mr. Davies." She smiled at him and looked him in the eyes. He maintained eye contact. It was a personality

test that Kate often employed when meeting someone new, someone who wasn't necessarily a suspect. She just scared the hell out of the suspects. She

continued, "As you are aware, Gina Cowell was attacked yesterday," she paused to assess his knowledge. He nodded. "It looked like a random mugging, but

some things about it don't add up. I was hoping you could help me determine if there was anyone that she associated with recently that might want to do her

harm."

Davies was shaking his head, "We're so shocked by the attack. I can't believe that anyone would want to hurt Gina. Sure, she's tough, but you don't get to

the top of this business by being a pushover." He paused and picked up a file folder from his desk. "These are copies of the most recent rejection letters she

had sent out. We went back three months, as you requested." Kate took the file from him; it was roughly an inch thick.

"Wow, I don't think I expected this many." She said as she started to thumb through it.

Davies smiled. "Although Rick Castle may make writing novels look easy, most people who submit manuscripts just don't have the talent or they don't have

what we're looking for. So, for every Castle, there are about a thousand not Castles. This is just Gina's share from the past three months. I have seventy-

three publishers on staff, not including myself." He paused to let the numbers sink in. They were. Kate had no idea that what Castle did for a living and did

well, was apparently so difficult. It made her admire him a little more.

"I'd also like a copy of her appointment book for the past month and I had asked for Castle's fan mail as well."

His eyebrows raised, "Castle's fan mail? How do you think his mail is connected with her attack?"

"Gina was with Castle just before the assault and he just received an envelope with some particularly disturbing letters, forwarded from Black Pawn. I'm just

looking for connections."

It took Davies a moment, and then his eyes lit up from the light bulb that switched on over his head. "Oh! The latest and greatest package. Castle has never

taken any of his more interesting fan mail seriously. He thinks they're all a hoot. I've seen some pretty innocuous ones and some that sent shivers down my

spine, but he takes them all in stride."

Kate smiled, it was just like him not to put much stock in the letters, as he told her, it was just an occupational hazard.

"I guess you have to expect the nut jobs if you write about the things he writes about." Pausing and looking around the room, he asked, "Detective, can I get

you anything? Coffee, water?"

Kate shook her head and smiled, "No, thank you, just the other items."

"Of course." He picked up his phone and called Gina's assistant and explained what he wanted. "It will just be a few moments." He looked around his office,

fumbling for small talk while they waited. "So… the real life Nikki Heat."

Kate blinked a couple of times. "Actually, she's more fiction than you might imagine her to be. Castle really is a good writer."

Gina's assistant knocked on the open door and then came through, "Ah, Charlie, this is Detective Beckett, Castle works with her." Charlie nodded and offered

her hand to Kate who was smiling, knowingly, because Castle had never mentioned that 'Charlie' was a woman and a knockout.

"Um, hi," Charlie started off shyly, "Rick…I mean Mr. Castle has told me all about you. I feel like I know you already." She smiled a fan girl sort of smile, nervous

and excited. Kate raised her eyebrows and sighed. "Well, Charlie, you have me at a disadvantage then. And, um, whatever Mr. Castle has told you, just

remember that he deals in fiction." She smiled sweetly and let the young girl off the hook. She would take care of Castle later.

Charlie helped Beckett load the files and boxes into her car. She had asked for the previous six months of the fan mail and she got it. There were nine

cardboard office boxes of mail. Kate thought to herself again of how well-adjusted Castle actually was. He had the biggest ego of any man she had ever met,

but it could have easily been over the top because it was regularly courted in the press, the public appearances and just by people stopping him on the

street. The latter had happened last week when they went out for a walk that ended up at a café. They were enjoying a couple of Espresso Martinis when a

group of women approached, obviously, they had been out partying. Kate was aggravated at their interruption, but Castle was generous and he spoke to

them, joked with them and even signed various items (ahem) for them. It turned out that they were a book of the month club and they had just finished 'Heat

Wave'. Kate was still trying to adjust to the new non-anonymous lifestyle. There had to be a support group somewhere; _Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous _

_and their Significant Others who would Rather be Unknown. _

He just shrugged at her discomfort, "You'll get used to it."

* * *

She drove back to the park; it was just after four when she found a spot to park on Central Park West. She walked to Belvidere Castle, passing old men

playing chess, young men and women running, Frisbee players. All and all a beautiful day to be in the park, the weather was cooperating with the outdoor

event and she was glad. She took in the scene as she approached. There was a mob of people, lots of mystery lovers. She passed by several authors she

hadn't heard of, she figured that they were new up and comers. There was a television section for exhibitors like CSI, Bones and Elementary. There were

producers and screen writers, the only names she recognized were Andrew Marlowe and Dana Creasey. It really was a big event. She was impressed and it

reminded her once again that she was Richard Castle's girlfriend. It was weird. She continued making her way and came across James Patterson. The

celebrated author was a friend of Rick's. She debated introducing herself, but took a look at the crowd and decided to seek out her favorite author.

She turned a corner and the mob became so thick she could hardly move. She wished she had her stilettos on so she could see over the heads of the throng.

She jumped and looked around. She caught a glimpse of the latest naked Nikki Heat novel's cover. She slowly made her way to the table. Twice she was told

by irate women that she would have to wait in line like everyone else, one politely, the other, not so much. She smiled sweetly at them and continued.

Castle's fans could be possessive. Kate stepped up to the roped off area after navigating around the crowd only to be greeted by security. "Ma'am, you need

to step back and wait your turn."

Kate smiled, "I appreciate your vigilance, um…" searching for his nametag, "Harley, but" she flashed her shield, "I have an appointment."

"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but I'll have to check this out. Follow me please."

"Absolutely."

* * *

They walked together to the table. Castle was seated there, being obnoxiously charming, in full flirt/playboy/knock 'em dead mode. She heard him as she

approached, "…and I'll certainly take that sex scene you described to me under consideration." He winked. "It shows a lot of creativity and imagination."

Beckett rolled her eyes, something that was happening too often when she was around him. He watched the south end of the bimbette exit and then caught

her eye. "Beckett!" He threw her a kiss, an eyebrow waggle and a one moment sign and said to the next fan in line. "Do you mind if I take a short break?" he

dazzled her with his smile and with his eyes. She murmured, "Um, hmm…" He took that as a positive response and got up and walked over to Kate. He greeted

her with a handshake and led her to the small trailer the event had supplied for their bigger names. He closed the door and greeted her properly.

He pulled back from the kiss to look at her. He loved looking at her, sometimes it got to be creepy and Kate had told him so. He didn't care.

"Did you have a good afternoon?" He asked her as he directed her to the small loveseat opposite the door and reached inside the refrigerator for a couple of

waters.

He handed her one of the bottles of water and she answered, "Yeah, I went to Black Pawn. I met Roger Davies."

"Oh, Roger's great. He's got a terrific sense of humor."

"He seemed a little nervous."

"Really? I've never known him to be. He's pretty even keeled, you know, for the head of multi-million dollar international publishing house."

"I also met Charlie." Kate let that hang, amusement dancing in her eyes.

"Charlie?" He knit his brows, "Charlie, I'm not sure…"

"Castle!"

"She's a nice kid."

"Of course you'd say that, she adores you."

"Well, Beckett, I've said it before; it's all part of the price."

"And somebody has to do the dirty work."

"Exactly. Did you get what you were looking for?"

"I got a lot more than I bargained for. I had no idea that so many manuscripts were declined and the amount of fan mail you receive is ludicrous."

He interrupted, "All part of the price…"

"Will I have to stand in that line for an autograph?"

"Sometimes, I can be persuaded to make exceptions." He worked his magic on her, his tone dripping with innuendo.

"What would make me an exception?" she asked, looking out from under her long lashes at him.

"That'll do." He was all over her. His kisses were hungry and aching, frantically needing her. She wasn't prepared for his attack and succumbed without much

fight, mercifully giving in and relishing his mouth, his body. There was a knock on the door.

"Rick?" Paula's nasal tone pulled him back to reality. They were both smoothing down their clothes as Paula opened the door.

"Paula." Rick said annoyance in his voice. Kate just watched, startled that she just let herself in.

"What the hell?" she assessed the situation, "What, are you a frickin' teenager now?" Paula was looking from him to Kate. "Do I need to set some boundaries?"

This last directed at Kate who wasn't sure how to respond.

Rick stepped into her rescue. "Paula, this is my first break all afternoon, what I do on that break isn't your business, it isn't in a contract nor does Black Pawn

control it. In the future, I'd appreciate it if you didn't speak to me or Kate as if we were children. Now, was there something you needed?"

Paula was momentarily speechless. He usually just took whatever she dished out. She knew he mostly ignored her, but this was new. She smiled; he was

showing off for his girlfriend. "That's cute, hon. You have roughly three hundred fans in line waiting for a glimpse of Richard Castle. I don't really care what you

do on a break, but the break's over. Now get your ass back to the table and make nicey nice with those people who make all of this possible." Her eyes

flashed in warning. His were solid and steely. Kate had only seen his eyes like that once before and he was not a happy camper then just as he wasn't now.

"I'll be out in a moment." There was no mistaking the dismissal in his tone.

Paula opened her mouth to say something, but then thought better of it and she stepped out of the trailer.

Rick took a deep breath. Kate let go of the one she'd been holding. She got up and put her arms around his neck. "All part of the price?" He shrugged. She

could feel the tension in his neck. Kate slid around behind him and kneaded his neck and shoulders. She could feel the tautness being replaced by flexibility

and calm. He turned to face her. "Thank you."

"No problem, Castle." And she smiled a smile with a hint of mischief and promise.

He turned to open the door, took a deep breath and carefully slid the playboy persona back on and went back out to the waiting crowd.

Kate made her way out of the trailer a few minutes later. She spotted Castle, charming his fans. She saw Paula hovering, keeping things moving and making

sure her star behaved himself.

"Detective Beckett!" Kate spun at the sound of her name until she spotted the source of the exclamation. Alexis Castle was a beautiful young woman. Her red

hair was flowing freely and her bright intelligent blue eyes sparkled like her dad's. She had inherited her dad's eyes and her mother's hair, but she was in many

ways more mature than either of them.

"Alexis, I thought you were going to call me Kate." Kate scolded playfully. She looked around. "Quite a turnout." She observed.

"Yeah, I didn't think the first year would be this big. Dad must be pleased." She said sarcastically. She knew full well that her dad would rather be anywhere

else than getting ready to perform a public reading. "Where is he now?"

"Just behind you, he's finishing up the meet & greet." Kate watched as Alexis spotted her dad and waved when he looked up at her. He always got the

sweetest look on his face when Alexis was there. He truly adored her. It was a side of him that he didn't show to just anybody, but he had let Beckett see it.

"Well, he's got a couple of minutes before he has to be at the stage, what do you say we find a snack and bring it back here for him?"

"That's a great idea, Kate." Alexis, who was nearly seventeen didn't need chaperoning in the crowd, but she stuck by Kate regardless. They found a hot dog

vendor and got Rick's favorite, Coney Island with chili, cheese and onions and a couple for themselves and headed back into the crowd. They were back at

Castle's trailer when they heard a scream.


	6. The Park

**A/N**

**Thanks for the reviews! Please keep them coming. Enjoy!**

* * *

Kate came out of the trailer and looked around for cause of the scream. There were several rent-a-cops and

uniformed cops rushing toward an area by Turtle Pond. It was behind the authors' displays. Castle had apparently

heard the scream, and although he could not leave his table, he watched Kate and the cops as they cordoned off

the area and began their investigation. Kate made eye contact with him. He gave her a questioning look and she

shook her head. She walked over and showed her shield to the officers standing around the perimeter. She could

see a woman on the bank. She was not moving. Neither was Kate. She was preserving the scene in her head. The

victim was laying behind Connolly, Castle's and newcomer Joe Buchanan's tables but way down on the bank. The

body was barely noticeable lying behind a rock cropping under a willow tree. The police escorted the woman who

screamed to a secluded area for questioning along with the man who was with her.

The victim was lying on her face, half in and half out of the water. Her blood was mixing with the algae on top of the

pond but Kate couldn't see a discernible wound. A backpack was tangled around her right arm. Kate walked down

to the corpse. She had short blond hair, was medium build, wearing jeans and a purple hoodie. Uniforms had

finished taping off the area and the curious were beginning to gather. Her experience told her that any area in

which there was this many people, would be tough to quarantine. She walked along the bank to see the area from

a different perspective. She turned around and found Castle at her elbow.

"Castle, aren't you working?"

"Yes, by being your partner." He looked at her expectantly and cocked his eyebrow.

"I meant the other job; you know the one where you're a bestselling author? Don't you have a contract to fulfill?"

He smiled the same smile he had when he was playing and his voice reflected his enthusiasm. "Are you kidding?

This is what my fans live for! They all know that I consult. This is an opportunity for them to see me, I mean us, in

action."

Kate looked doubtful. "I'm thinking that since you may be a witness, you may need to sit this one out."

He looked rejected. "Why? If I'm a witness, I could only help, right?" He parlayed.

"Okay, but let's remember that a woman was murdered. It's not a photo op. Am I clear?" He nodded.

"Did you notice anything?"

"Like a woman being murdered right behind me? I'll have to say no. Are we sure it was a murder?"

"I'm thinking that given the temperature, she wasn't going for a swim." They started to walk back towards the

victim. Castle's eyes darted to the body and then were sheepish when he said, "Maybe someone wanted her to

take the plunge." Kate grimaced. He continued, "Too soon?"

Kate bent down to examine the woman more closely; she didn't touch the body as CSU hadn't done their own

examination yet.

Castle was making himself busy scoping out the crime scene. He was trying to determine if a shoe print in the mud

was fresh or if it had been there before the murder. He had his face close to the grass when he heard Joe

Buchanan calling his name. "Mr. Castle?" Castle straightened up and looked around. He walked over to the

perimeter where Joe was standing with Connolly just outside the tape. "Joe? Mike." Kate had heard Rick speak of

Buchanan. He was a young, rapidly rising star of the genre. Rick liked his work.

"Holy crap! Is...is she dead?" His eyes never left the victim. Buchanan blanched.

"Yeah, are you alright?" Castle searched his face.

He took a few shallow breaths. "It's different… than just…writing about it. I..I mean she's dead!"

"Yes, it is and yes, she is. Joe, do you want to sit down?"

"I think that would be a good idea." He was wobbling.

"Why don't you go to my trailer, sit down, sip some water if you want, but don't eat anything. We're going to need

to ask you a few questions after CSU and OCME are finished processing the scene." Castle gestured to a uniformed

cop. "L.T., would you show Joe where he can wait for us?" L.T. nodded "Sure, Castle." "Go sit and we'll be over to

see you in a few minutes." Connolly made eye contact with Castle and Rick could read his old argument that a

writer had no business on that side of the tape. Connolly shook his head and walked away.

Ryan and Esposito arrived and ducked under the tape just as Buchanan was leaving. "Whoa, that dude looked

pale." Esposito observed. They were shortly joined by the CSU and Perlmutter, who was muttering about the crowd

and how hard it was going to be to do his job.

He walked up to the body and to Kate he said, "Detective, I hope you haven't been letting just anyone," throwing a

look of distaste in Castle's direction, "contaminate my crime scene." Kate knew better than to fall into his verbal

trap. "We've all been very respectful and cautious." Castle heard the exchange and made a face. "Perlmutter, you

got here very quickly, are you sure you're not a fan?" He grinned wickedly. He enjoyed goading the M.E. It was fun

teasing Lanie, too, but at least she begrudgingly respected him. Perlmutter wouldn't shed any tears if he got to a

crime scene one day and found Castle on the ground, so Rick figured there was nothing to lose.

Perlmutter began his examination by taking photographs and the victim's temperature. Castle and Beckett were

waiting patiently for his report. When the M.E. turned the body over, Castle took in a sharp breath.

"Castle? What is it?" Kate searched his face.

He looked miserable. "Uh...I…um..." She was always concerned when words failed him.

"Rick?"

"It's just, she was in my line. I spoke to her a few minutes ago, seriously just twenty minutes ago or so. She's

twenty, going to college at Columbia, she was going to be a teacher. She wanted to teach literature to high school

kids. Her name was Mandy. I remember her because she had that, not Nikki," He pointed to the book in her

backpack and sighed. It was different when there was a connection with the victim, even if it was slim.

Mandy Griffith was carrying a backpack which held her wallet, three books and an Alex Cross t-shirt. Her driver's

license and Columbia student ID confirmed what Castle had said. She was wearing a Nikki Heat sweatshirt and in

her backpack had a copy of Castle's first book, _In a Hail of Bullets_. Her neck had been slit.

Kate guided him away from Perlmutter. "Are you okay?" Beckett watched the fun, enjoyment and color drain from

his face. He was fidgety, and he didn't know what to do with his hands, in and out of his jean pockets, clasped in

front, behind or rubbing them together.

Castle took in a deep cleansing breath and replied, "I will be." She started to turn back to the M.E., but spun

around when he continued. "Kate," he began haltingly. "Something's not right." He looked anxious. "In the past

twenty four hours, three women that I have some sort of connection to have been assaulted or…" His voice trailed

off, his eyes drifting back to Mandy Griffith. He looked back at Kate, searching, hoping she would scoff at his theory,

but she didn't believe in coincidences and he knew it. Kate wanted to discount what he was saying, she wanted to

remove that burden from him, but she had also had to consider the coincidences and the letter.

* * *

While Beckett waited for the M.E.'s report, she had Ryan and Esposito start the interviews. Castle said he needed

to walk. His mind was flooded with connections and theories and he desperately needed to expel some energy. He

headed down the footpath toward the Met. He said he would be back soon. Kate watched him disappear around

the curve of the footpath.

Ryan was interviewing the couple who had found the body. He discovered that they went down to the water to

feed the ducks, walked a bit and then saw her. They didn't know the victim and had never seen her before. They

didn't see anyone around the area, except for the hundreds of people there for the convention. Espo was walking

back from Castle's trailer. He had interviewed Joe Buchanan and Mike Connolly and had uniforms set up to take

statements from anyone in the crowd.

Beckett met the boys at the tape. "Ryan, Espo, Anything?

"Remind me that I want to be a writer in my next life. Man, have you seen Castle's trailer, the one he's using just

for today? It is crazy comfortable and stocked. I could live there full time." Esposito shook his head and at Kate's

expression began his report, "The other authors didn't see anything useful, not that we thought they would have.

There are a lot of people here." He held up a book,_ Love Leads to Murder_, "That dude, Buchanan gave me a signed

copy. He's pretty cool. Here." He shoved the book toward Beckett. "You like this stuff."

"Thanks?" Kate looked at him. She opened the front cover and read _'To Javier, Thanks for making my first real murder _

_fun. – Joe Buchanan.' _She scrunched up her face. "Seriously?" She shoved it right back to him.

She turned to an amused Ryan. "Anything better?"

Ryan sighed and puckered his lips "Nada. Jon and Erica Winthrop, from Massapequa. Discovered the body about 45

minutes ago, didn't see anyone else around the pond. Dead end. Where's Castle?"

"He had to walk." She looked in the direction he had gone. "He thinks there is some sort of connection between

Gina's assault, the hit and run and now this." She gestured toward the body. "I wouldn't say that the crimes are

related in any way, except all of them are linked to Castle through his books. I'm trying to look at them all

separately and see where the evidence leads."

Esposito shook his head. "You know, sometimes there are just coincidences. I mean, there have been a lot of book

things this week. He is a popular writer. Maybe…"

"Let's start by checking the financials and phones for all three vics, including Gina. I want to know if they had any

connection other than Castle's books."

"On it." Ryan and Esposito said in unison. They headed out of the crime scene.

Beckett walked back down to Perlmutter. He narrowed his eyes at her approach.

"T.O.D. is within the last couple of hours. Looks like a robbery; no cash or credit cards. Ring's missing from her

finger. Her neck was slit with a box cutter or razor." He made a face that looked like he smelled last week's

garbage. "Messy. I won't have anything new for you, detective until I get her on my table. So don't ask." The M.E.

zippered the body bag and he and his technician wheeled the gurney across the lawn to the coroner's van.

Beckett watched him go and said to herself, "Always a pleasure, Perlmutter."

* * *

Castle walked along the rolling hills of the footpath towards Fifth Avenue. His thoughts bouncing back and forth

between the three women and if they could possibly have anything in common besides his books. Maybe the crimes

weren't related at all. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He bought bottled water from a street vendor

and climbed onto one of the large rocks that dotted the surface of Central Park. He sat down and opened the water

bottle and took a deep drink to clear his head. He followed with deep breathing exercises his mother had taught to

her acting class. Rick was the Guinea pig. He got up to start his walk back to the castle area and something caught

his eye under the edge of the rock. He walked over to it, bent down to look more closely and reached for his cell

phone. He took a picture of a box cutter. It was grey with a black lightning bolt printed on its side; the razor blade

was broken and bloody. He looked around the area and called Kate.

"Castle, where are you?"

"Beckett, I found a bloodied box cutter! I'm sending you a picture."

"What? Where are you? Castle!"

"I'm not too far." He tried to get his bearings. While he was walking he really didn't keep track of his path. "I

haven't made it to Fifth Avenue yet." He looked around again. "There are boulders where three paths intersect right

by the bike path. There's a parking lot, too, and a pretzel vendor."

"Castle, there are pretzel vendors every thirty feet. Any other landmarks?"

He started back out to the main path. "Nope, noth…" His phone was knocked out of his hands.

* * *

Well there he was, the great Richard Castle. He was talking on his phone. He didn't see why he was so special. The

man sneered at Rick from his vantage point. He was uphill and mostly hidden by the boulder. He had been careless

and let the knife drop as he clambered up the rock. It skidded down and came to rest on the ground. He was about

to retrieve it when Richard Castle, big as life, came walking down the path. She said not to hurt him unless he got in

the way. Well, he was in the way of him getting his knife back. He inched his way down. Castle had his back to him,

he was on his phone. A couple of more inches and he knocked into Castle from behind. The cell phone went flying,

but Castle rolled and jumped up. He was facing a man who was a good four inches shorter than Rick, but had thick

muscular arms. His neck was easily a twenty and he was barrel chested. Even with the height difference, he had

forty pounds on him. The attacker let go with two quick jabs to Castle's midsection. When Rick turned to shield his

abdomen, the man kidney punched him. Rick fell to his knees. He elbowed Rick in the face and split his lip and

smashed his nose. Castle's blood was everywhere. The man kicked at him and caught him in the ribs. His features

took on a look of victory and he was bending down to collect the knife. When he was distracted, Rick coughed out

blood and decided. He got up, while his back was turned, ran up on the boulder, but quickly changed direction and

jumped his assailant, kicking his head on the way down. He ended up on top of him, willing his weight to keep him

pinned down. His will was losing. Castle pulled back and pummeled the man's face. All of the anxiety of the last

twenty four hours let go in the beating. Castle wasn't one to fight, normally, but he could defend himself and more if

pressed and he…had had…enough. He was pulled off of the unconscious man a couple of seconds later by Officer

Shannon of the Central Park Precinct. Rick hadn't noticed him gallop up or dismount or hear him as he told him to

stop.

Kate jogged in the direction Castle had gone. He was right, he couldn't have gotten that far, and he'd only been

gone a few minutes. She came to an intersection, was about to head down the other path when a Central Park

Ambulance Service van went by. She followed the van. It was only another hundred yards or so until she got to him.

She found him seated in the back of the ambulance, receiving first aid. He looked bloodied and battered, but alive.

She walked to the back of the van. "Castle." Rick turned around and winced in pain.

"Hey." She was surveying the damage; split lip, what would be a black eye soon, bruises on his side and back. His

nose was still bleeding and cuts and contusions on his knuckles. She shook her head. "I thought you were just

going for a walk." The E.M.T. was just finishing dressing his bandages.

"Well, I did and then I stopped here. Have I ever told you about my powers of observation?" He tried a grin but

because of his lip, it failed and he was only able to manage a grimace. The E.M.T. motioned that he could go.

"Rick."

He got out of the ambulance and embraced her. "I'm okay. You should see the other guy." He chortled, but then

grimaced. "Ow, I think I'm gonna be sore tomorrow."

"What happened?"

"Yes, Mr. ah Castle? Castle? Crap." Rick and Kate turned to see Tom Demming.

"Demming. Why are you here?" Castle was shocked to see him. Kate was uncharacteristically quiet. She had dated

Tom four years ago. She broke it off just as she was discovering the spark of affection toward Castle. He was hurt

and it ended badly. Kate was embarrassed to see him now.

"Castle," and turned to Beckett, "Kate." She barely made eye contact. "I was reassigned to Central Park two years

ago. But, that is not why we're enjoying this reunion. Castle, why the hell did you beat that man unconscious?"


	7. A Connection

**A/N - Hi Guys! **

**Thanks to everyone for the terrific reviews. You always read how the reviews, positive ones keep an author going, well, it's true. I wasn't quite sure where this chapter was going, but I'm happy with the story's progress. I hope you all are too.**

**Cheers!**

* * *

The Castle Wall

Chapter 7

A Connection

Castle sat on the bench in the lock-up at the Central Park Precinct, his right wrist handcuffed to the bench. He had cuts and contusions on his face and multiple bruises on his torso and hands. There were bandages on his right knuckles. An EMT had looked him over at the scene and recommended that he should go to the hospital, but Demming insisted on the precinct. As lock-ups went, it wasn't bad, but Castle was in a foul mood. He was starting to ache. Demming had jumped to the conclusion that Castle had been at fault in the altercation in the park. Beckett tried to intervene, but she had not been a witness to the fight. Rick had put a man in the hospital, true, but that same man attacked him first. He was on the phone with Beckett when the assault began, so Kate tried to explain. Demming was having none of it. So there he sat, his jaw working, his eyes smoldering with ice blue intensity as he stared at the sign on the wall, a sample of the NYPD's propaganda. "If _your_ not a part of the solution,_ your_ a part of the problem." Castle sighed, audibly. He couldn't tell if he was more upset about the lock up or the poor grammar. He decided to console himself with the thought that Demming penned the sign, the ignorant jackass.

Beckett was upstairs. The precinct in Central Park was well appointed with newer desks and chairs. Demming was sitting at his desk listening to an eyewitness account of Castle's altercation. He was a skateboarder who was sitting, taking a break on the curb across from the rocks where the fight had occurred.

"Dude! The guy,"

"Which guy?" Demming interrupted.

"Uh, the one you dragged here. He was just sitting on the rock and got up. He was on his phone and the other dude…"

"Again, which one?"

"The messed up dude. The one who got the shit beat out of him. He ran down the boulder and jumped the, uh, the other dude. He totally started it."

"The dude that's here?"

The witness thought and squinted his eyes, "No, dude, the other dude."

Demming sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Are you positive that the man in the hospital started it, that he wasn't provoked?"

"Dude."

Beckett blinked. "Tom." Demming shot a warning look in her direction. He made it clear that her presence was a professional courtesy.

"Kate, I thought you were observing. Just observing."

"It's obvious that Castle was defending himself."

"I think you're a little too close to make any sort of judgment call."

"The same could be said of you!" Kate was losing it. She was sure Castle needed further medical attention. She had called Alexis and told her to go home. She also called Paula and explained why Rick was delayed. Paula was fuming and wanted more information, but Kate gave it right back to her, protecting Rick as best she could. Paula called back a few minutes later saying that she had negotiated Castle's reading to a later time slot, but he had better be there. Kate had to get back to her crime scene. She had the knife in her possession, she had a good suspect, but she was dithering with Tom Demming on what should have been an open and shut assault.

"Detective Beckett, if you can't control yourself, I'll need to ask you to wait outside."

Beckett rolled her eyes. "Tom, whatever has happened between us or if your issues with Castle…"

"You're not actually insinuating that I'm doing anything but my job, are you, Kate?" Demming's eyes were cold. She understood. She had hurt him and this was payback. When they were dating, there was a competition for Kate's attention, neither Castle nor Demming acting the adult, but rather jealous asses. It had been a true pissing contest. Castle even based a less than favorable character on Demming in _"Naked Heat."_

"I'm just looking to get back to the case Castle and I were investigating." Demming winced at the reference to their partnership.

"I need to explore all the angles, Kate, you know that. Your boy put a man in the hospital. I guess he's really butched up since I saw you last. I always thought you were the one with the balls in your partnership?" Disdain dripped from the word 'partnership'. Beckett did not have time for this. She pursed her lips and counted.

The witness watched the exchange. "Dude, dudette – am I done?" Demming had an officer process the witness out. Kate waited.

"Look, Tom, you've got Castle's statement and a couple of witnesses and my account from the phone call. Could you give me a break? I will personally be responsible for Castle and if you end up charging him, I promise to bring him back."

"Kate," Demming began and then saw her face, he sighed and made a face. "Okay, but I want him to be available." He did not want to just let him go. He had lost to him before. He had to be the one on top here, in his own place. It was all he had. Castle had her.

"Thanks, Tom." Beckett chose not to acknowledge the look of defeat on his face.

A uniformed officer came into the lockup. "Castle, Richard, E?"

Rick looked up. "Here" The officer unlocked the handcuff.

"You've been released into custody. Take this," handing him his release papers, "and see the desk sergeant.

"Wait. Custody? Who's custody?"

Beckett was waiting for him at the sergeant's desk. "How are you holding up?" The sergeant gave him a clipboard to sign for his wallet, cell phone, watch, and belt.

Castle glared. "Peachy. Where the hell is the son of a bitch?" Then to the Sergeant, "To whom do I make a complaint?"

Kate answered first, "Demming?" Then the desk sergeant asked "What kind of complaint?"

"No, Himmler." Castle spat to Kate. The sergeant handed him his belongings and Rick began to put them away.

He turned back to the Sergeant, "The sign in the holding cell." The sergeant blinked. "You should check the grammar." Beckett rolled her eyes.

"Castle, Demming was just doing his job." He said as they started walking towards the door.

"Kate, you're forgetting that I know what that job looks like."

"We need to get you checked ou…"

"I'm fine." He cut her off.

"Have you looked at yourself lately?" The bruising on his face was worse, if he had gotten ice on it, it may not have been so bad. He still had wads of gauze up his nose. He really had taken as much as he gave that afternoon.

"Damn!" He had just put on his watch.

"What?"

"It's six-fifteen." He looked like he wanted to punch something. "Kate, I need to get back to Belvidere. If I don't fulfill the contract tonight..." He let it hang. "Paula will have me in a vice grip and then she'll get mean. She'll have this to hold over me."

"Sounds like a charming relationship, but I talked to her and you're going on after Buchanan"

"I…uh…okay," he said, a mix of confusion and awe on his face, "Paula scares the hell out of me, but she gets the job done. Besides, I don't want to let down all the other Mandy Griffiths."

"Alright, let's go, but after we're going to the emergency room."

He started to protest, but she held up her hand. He raised his hands in a sign of surrender and followed her down the steps and out of the precinct.

* * *

They arrived at Belvidere Castle just as Joe Buchanan was finishing his selection. Castle ran back stage with Kate in tow. Paula was waiting for him, looking at her watch, not at him as he approached.

"Rick, I swear if you were off fooling ah…" She looked at him. "Jeez, what happened to you?"

He regarded her. "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you." He sat down in the make-up chair. The cosmetologist turned him around, "Oy! I don't think I can fix this."

Rick sighed, "Just cover it as best you can, please?" He tried to smile, but it hurt.

To Paula he asked, "What am I reading?"

She smacked her lips, "Frozen Heat." The 'you imbecile' was implied.

"Yeah, I get that, which part?"

"How about the tease at the beginning?"

"Alright. How's the lighting?"

Paula rolled her eyes. "It was okay for Buchanan, so I'm sure your highness can manage."

He tightened his lips. He was just about at his breaking point when Beckett stepped in.

"Paula, how long do you think this will take? Castle and I need to continue our investigation." she was counting in her head, giving Rick time to cool off, "Could you show me where he'll be?"

Rick mouthed a thank you to her as Paula escorted her away.

He opened up the copy of Frozen Heat to look it over. He had five minutes. He looked at himself in the mirror. He sighed, "Such as it is." He stood and waited for his introduction.

"Ladies and gentlemen, gumshoes and detectives, the organizers of the Mystery, Mayhem, and Murder Convention take great pleasure in presenting the master of the macabre, Richard Castle." The emcee had to pause for the applause and Rick walked on stage and smiled. It hurt. "Mister Castle will be reading an excerpt from his latest Nikki Heat thriller, Frozen Heat." More applause.

Rick made himself comfortable behind the podium and began to read. "Frozen Heat by Richard Castle, chapter one. 'Oh, yeah, that's it, Rook, said Nikki Heat. That's what I want. Just like that. A trickle of sweat rolled down his neck to his heaving chest." Castle's silky baritone echoed across the pond. The audience was mesmerized.

Kate was listening off stage. She smiled at his words. She had, of course, already read Frozen Heat, and knew that this scene was about rehab not sex, but Castle was milking it and playing with the audience until the reveal. He read a full chapter and left them wanting more.

He came off the stage, smiling and more relaxed. He kissed Kate and they headed to the Mount Sinai ER.

* * *

Castle was checked over at the hospital and released. They taped the bridge of his nose, to keep the swelling down and his ribs because of the bruising. During Castle's examination, Kate checked on his assailant. Thomas Wagner was a small time repeat offender. He was under police guard and sedated. He did have a broken nose. Kate asked to be called when he was conscious and healthy enough for questioning. She met up with Castle as he was getting instructions from the pretty PA. Kate shook her head. He attracted pretty, young women like blood attracts sharks.

"So? Will you live?"

"Absolutely, Karen here says it's all superficial." The girl smiled at Kate.

"Karen knows you pretty well. Can we get back to work now?"

"Um, Mr. Castle really should rest."

Beckett raised her eyebrows, "Castle, why don't you go home and relax." Rick was shaking his head, "You can start in on your fan mail, and I'll go to the precinct and start the murder boards." To the PA, "Will that be okay?"

She hesitated, "All right, just don't overdo it. Don't drive either, those pain meds should be kicking in at any time now."

Without a way out, Rick responded, "Got it."

Castle and Beckett walked out of the hospital together and across the park to her car. She gradually had to guide him as the meds certainly started working. He hailed a cab and she gave the driver his address. "Call me when you're home." She said to him, uncertain of his current sobriety. She was certain he was not doing any work tonight, so she held on to the boxes of fan mail.

"Got it." He slurred.

She got to her car and called Alexis to let her know that he was on his way home and his condition.

* * *

Beckett arrived back at the twelfth to inquiries about Castle from Ryan and Esposito. She briefed them and told them about Thomas Wagner and Demming.

"Holy crap, chica, what the hell happened to Demming? He used to be a good guy." Espo shook his head.

"Yeah, how did he justify holding Castle?" Ryan piped in.

Beckett flattened her lips. Demming had been out of line. Regardless of their history. "Let's just forget it. We've got two homicides to solve and I want to see if there's any connection to Gina."

The boys had already rolled in three white boards and had begun posting info on their three vics. The first had Gina's DMV picture; the details under her picture included the area of the city where she was assaulted, the time of the attack and the fact that she is Castle's publisher. The hit and run victim's photo identified her as Janet Marlowe of Brooklyn Heights. The details listed were where the hit and run had occurred, the time, the make, and model of the vehicle and that she had a signed copy of _Frozen Heat. _Neither had any suspects listed. The third board had Mandy Griffith's smiling Columbia ID photo and underneath were the particulars of time, location, and the fact that she was a fan of the mystery genre. Unlike the previous two boards, Mandy's had a suspect, Thomas Wagner. His DOC mug shot seemed to be sneering at her as it reminded her that he lay in the hospital unable to be questioned.

"Ryan, call over to Central Park and get them to send the surveillance from Turtle Pond area and the walking path where Castle was attacked. I don't want to take any chances that that son of a bitch could get away."

"You got it, boss."

"Karpowski?" Beckett called. Sharon Karpowski was a detective who sometimes helped with Beckett's team. She was quick and resourceful. Beckett liked her.

"Yeah, Beckett."

"Hey, I am waiting on video from the ninth, ah, Detective Garrett in the Gina Cowell Case. Also, I'm looking for the traffic cam footage of our hit and run yesterday 23rd and Lex. I want that car found. Check with impound."

"On it, Beckett."

Kate cell buzzed. "Beckett"

"Jeez, shees so sexy…" Kate could hear Alexis in the background. "Dad?…dad,…dad!" Then Castle, "Kay, I…um, I'm home."

Kate smiled. "Good. Can I speak to Alexis?"

"Shuuuure." He sang the answer.

"Kate?"

"Hey Alexis, sorry for not bringing him home myself. Just get him settled down, he's gonna be hurting tomorrow."

"It's okay, Kate. I'm glad he's not worse off."

"I'll be there as soon as I can. Let me speak to him please. Goodnight."

"Night, Kate…Dad!"

"Lo?"

"Castle, you need to go to bed."

"But what 'bout th'case?"

"We'll take care of it tomorrow. Go to slee..." She heard a crash and a thud. "Castle?...Rick?"

"Kate, it's okay," Alexis grabbed the phone, "he passed out in his office. I'll do what I can for him. Goodnight."

"Bye"

She turned around to find Espo waiting on her. "Don't even ask. It's the pain meds they gave him. He's totally wasted. I feel for Alexis."

"Did I ask? No. I'm just sitting here amused." He was grinning. He wiggled his eyebrows ala Castle and continued, "Tom Garrett from the ninth called, he's emailing surveillance footage from that alley where Gina was attacked. He also said that forensics got a partial from Gina's bag."

"Great. Let me know when the video is here. Where are we on trying to find a connection other than Castle or, better yet, a non-connection."

"Ran phone and financials on all three vics. Nothing out of the ordinary, but damn, please remind me that I want to be in the book business in my next life." He shook his head. She pursed her lips at him, not so patiently. He continued, "No phone connection, but when I ran Thomas Wagner's cell, it shows several calls made to…" He paused for dramatic effect, "Black Pawn Publishing House. So I checked with their switchboard and the calls were transferred to… wait for it…the office of Ms. Gina Cowell."

There it was. A connection.


	8. I May Be Crazy

**A/N -Hi Everyone! Thanks again for your patience as I wander around this increasingly complex story. Your reviews and comments have made me smile, I appreciate them. Thanks for all of them but special thanks goes out to wendykw, TORONTOSUN, hfce & 41319fan for being serial reviewers. (See what I did there? ;-)) There have been a few of you that have written that they know who is responsible for all the murders. A huh. Also, has anyone noticed what a lot of the incidental characters have in common? Thanks for making this so much fun. & Thanks so much for reading**

**Cheers & Enjoy!**

The Castle Wall

Chapter 8

I May Be Crazy

Alex Tully glanced in his rear view mirror to his passenger. He had picked him up on Central Park West and was currently taking him to Broome Street in Tribeca. This guy was messed up. The woman who had given him the address asked Tully to see that he got home and had given him a generous tip in advance for his trouble, but now the guy was singing.

"Hey…Mister…" He tried to get a word in between the verses and choruses of a heartfelt rendition of Billy Joel's 'You May Be Right'. He was not having any success.

Rick was feeling good. He was in a cab and had a vague recollection that he was going home, but he would have rather gone to the precinct. Didn't they have a case? Oh wait, the chorus was coming around, _"You may be right, I may be crazy, but it just may be a lunatic you're looking for…" _Now, where was he? Somebody was trying to talk to him. Oh, it was the driver. "Hey, um…" he sat up next to the back of the front seat and looked at the driver's I.D., "Um, do you know that your I.D. is blurry?"

Tully looked at him in the mirror. He had seen some drunk, drugged or otherwise inebriated happy bastards in his four years driving a cab in New York City, but this guy took the cake. The chick said he just got out of the hospital. "Yeah, I hear that all the time." He smiled as the song switched to 'New York State of Mind'. At least he was getting quieter.

"Rick," he stuck his arm over the seat back, "Rick Castle."

"Hi Rick," Tully shook his hand, "nice to meet you. I'm Tully. Are you okay?"

"I…um…I'm feeling fine."

Tully smiled again. "It looks like you had a rough night."

"You should see the other guy." A self-satisfied smile on his face.

"I'm sure. Just a couple of minutes more until we get you home." He heard muffled thanks from the back seat but couldn't see Rick anymore. He pulled up to the curb of the building. Nice place. He got out and waved at the doorman.

Eduardo came out. "Can I help you?" Tully gestured to the back seat.

Castle was lying half on the back seat and the floor of the cab. "Oh. Mr. Castle, hang on, I'll call his apartment." He went back inside and emerged a few minutes later. "His daughter will be down in a minute." Tully nodded. A couple of minutes later a beautiful red head came out of the door. Tully appreciated her for a moment and then assessed her height and build. She wasn't going to be able to get her father home by herself.

"Miss? Can I help you get him upstairs? The woman who was with him asked me to make sure he arrived safely, I guess that means all the way." It was a good tip.

Alexis looked at the cabbie, "That's okay. Eduardo and I can take care of it."

Eduardo interrupted, "Ah actually, Miss Castle, I can't leave the door. Henry's on his break."

Alexis wasn't sure what to do. She knew she couldn't handle her six foot two father herself. She looked back at the cabbie; he looked trustworthy, kind of cute even. "Well, okay. Thanks for your offer."

They got him out of the cab and into the elevator. Rick was fading in and out of lucidity in the elevator. There was an awkward silence until the second floor whenRick at the top of his lungs sang_ "Hop a flight to Miami Beach or to Hollywood…,"_ Alexis was embarrassed and began to blush. Tully smiled at her and said, "Don't worry about it. I see it all the time. At least he can sing."

They arrived on the top floor and Tully helped her get him into their apartment. Rick spun around and offered Tully his hand again, "Rick Castle."

"Yeah, we've met." Tully looked around as they got him to the couch. Really nice place. Maybe he should have held out for a bigger tip. "Well, I've gotta get back to work." Alexis was trying to get Rick to take off his shoes when he suddenly got up and headed back to Tully.

"You're great," he pulled out his wallet after spinning around a couple of times. Like a dog chasing his tail, but he was chasing his wallet. "Here" and he put some cash in his hands.

"No, the woman you were with already paid." Then he tried to give it back.

"Yeah, but she wasn't there. Best cab ride ever!" With that, he collapsed back onto the couch.

Tully thanked him and Alexis and headed out the door. He was on the elevator when he discovered that his tip was two hundred dollar bills. He shook his head and said, "Best cab ride ever!"

Alexis closed the door and turned back to her father. She hadn't had to deal with this type of fallout for a while now. Thankfully, this episode wasn't due to excessive partying. He was dozing on the couch, his head lolled back and eyes slightly open. She assessed his condition and concluded that tomorrow he would feel every bruise and cut. She fleetingly flashed anger. It was not the first time he'd been in danger since he began working with the police. However, he had explained to her that he felt like he was helping, that he was doing something that made a difference and that it was well worth the risk. She sighed, and then walked over to him. She gently put her hand on his shoulder. "Dad?" No response, so then she got louder. "Dad!"

"What?" He startled from his nap and looked around.

"Time for bed." She went over to him and put his arm over her shoulders.

"Yeah, I think you're right." He let her guide him and then pulled away. "Beckett! I need to call." He dug into his pocket but then had trouble removing his phone packed fist from his pocket. After considerable effort, he finally freed the phone. It took several mis-dials before he hit Kate's number.

"Beckett" He heard her say. A silly smile came to his lips.

"Jeez, shees so sexy…" Castle was grinning from ear to ear.

"Dad?…dad,…dad!" Alexis was trying to get him focused

He nodded his head to her and put a shushing finger to his lips. "Kay, I…um, I'm home."

"Good. Can I speak to Alexis?" He looked around for her. She was behind him. He seemed to be turning around a lot tonight.

"Shuuuure." He sang the answer.

"Kate?"

"Hey Alexis, sorry for not bringing him home myself. Just get him settled down, he's gonna be hurting tomorrow."

"It's okay, Kate. I'm glad he's not worse off."

"I'll be there as soon as I can. Let me speak to him please?"

"Okay…Dad!"

"Goodnight."

"Night, Kate." Alexis began to steer him through the loft towards his bedroom as she handed him the phone.

"Lo?"

"Castle, you need to go to bed."

"But what 'bout th'case?" He stopped in his office.

"We'll take care of it tomorrow. Go to slee..." She heard a crash and a thud. "Castle?...Rick?"

"Kate, it's okay," Alexis grabbed the phone, "he passed out in his office. I'll do what I can for him. Goodnight."

"Bye."

Alexis looked down at her father. He was lying on the floor just outside of his bedroom door. She took a deep breath, bent down and tried to rouse him. "Dad!" He mumbled and opened his eyes or rather just one eye.

"Lexisss, what's behind you?" Alexis spun around to nothing. Rick, however got to his feet and was backing up, alarmed. Great, she thought, hallucinations. What did they give him?

"Come on, Dad, we've got to get you to bed." He was still retreating.

"Whaddayou want?" His words were all running together now.

She raised her eyebrows. "Dad, there is nobody there. It's just your imagination." She turned behind her to show him. "See? Nothing there."

"No, Lexisss, someone was dere." Rick was still trying to get to his feet, his slurring getting so bad that Alexis was having difficulty understanding him.

She tightened her lips and then sighed. "Come on." She led him through to the bedroom while he kept trying to investigate whatever he thought he saw. He was so insistent that Alexis did a double take, too. He sat down on the bed and she helped him take off his shoes. She took off his socks and went to his closet to put them in the hamper and when she came back out, he was sprawled across his bed. She went over to him and gently shook his arm. "Dad?" She leaned over and kissed his cheek, turned off the light, covered him with a blanket and closed his door behind her.

* * *

Kate was happy about the connection that Espo had found between Gina and Wagner, but frustrated that she had to wait to question him. She went to the break room to fix a cup of coffee. She was letting her mind wander the ins and outs of the cases, the possibilities and probabilities swirled like the steamed milk in her latte.

"Beckett? We got the footage from Garrett." Ryan's excited voice brought her out of her musings.

"Great, I'll be right there." She put her spoon in the sink feeling awkward. Why? She realized it had been a while since she got her own coffee. She missed Castle. She walked out to the bullpen and over to Ryan's desk. "You're not gonna believe this," Ryan said.

She sat and said, "Go."

Ryan started the digital playback from the alley in the village. He had already searched for the assault and cued it just before for Beckett. It began to play. A jogger ran past and then no one. Gina made an appearance around the corner coming from the direction of Jo Jo's Diner where she and Castle had had lunch. She was checking her phone and then apparently was making a phone call.

Ryan said, "Now watch this."

As he did, they saw a figure come around the same corner at a full run, tossed something to the pavement, and ran right into Gina. She knocked her down to her knees. The assailant stopped, turned around to get behind her, and fisted her hair. The attacker pulled her head up and smashed it into the pavement. Gina was unconscious, but the perp did the same thing twice more. Beckett and the boys were wincing every time Gina took a hit. Beckett was staring at the screen. It was deliberate and brutal.

"Beckett?" Espo said, "Watch what she does."

"Wait, she?"

"Yeah, you'll see in a second."

"Mmm" she hummed and turned her attention back to the screen. The woman stood up, fixed her hair, and stooped to pick up what she dropped. Beckett's shoulders slumped. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me." Ryan had frozen the image. The woman was looking directly at the surveillance cam holding a copy of Frozen Heat, smiling. "Shit!"

Ryan shuddered, "Creepy"

"Yeah, it kind of confirms it was about Castle."

"Really? Espo?"

"Whoa, don't shoot the messenger."

Ryan's phone rang and he answered it.

Kate sighed. "You're right, I'm sorry. I just really wanted this not to be about him." She sighed again and took a gulp of her coffee.

"Espo, tomorrow, take a picture of the woman to the bookstore Castle was at yesterday, see if the manager or employees recognize her, also find out whom his rent-a-cop security was. Castle said that a couple of people were loitering and were asked to leave. Also, take it to Jo Jo's. Maybe she's a regular in the neighborhood."

"As you wish."

Ryan broke into their conversation. "Wagner's awake."

Beckett grabbed her jacket. "Ryan, bring a picture of the suspect. Let's go find out what Mr. Wagner knows. I'll pick you up out front." Ryan printed the picture. Just as he was leaving, Esposito grabbed his arm. "Bro, nobody messes with one of our own and gets away with it. You nail the bastard."

Ryan turned to his partner and said, "I'm on it, for Castle." They fist bumped and then he headed after Beckett.

* * *

The ride back to Mount Sinai Hospital was uneventful, but emotionally charged. They both wanted to make sure Wagner was put away for attacking Castle. They made their way to the secure ward and showed their shields to the guarding officers. They were just about to go into the room when someone called to them. Kate rolled her eyes and sighed. It had been a long day already. She didn't need this.

Ryan was the first to turn and speak. "Demming." Kevin appraised the approaching detective coolly. Nobody messes with one of our own. Nobody.

Kate composed herself. She was still angry about the treatment Castle had received. "What do you want, Tom?"

Demming grimaced. "Look, I'm sorry about earlier."

"It's not me who you need to apologize to."

He looked at his shoes. He knew it too. "Where…, where is Castle?" he asked looking around.

Beckett unclenched her teeth, and then took a deep breath. Ryan answered. "He's at home. He's recuperating after being treated at the hospital."

Demming was still staring at the floor. "Oh. Well, the other thing is, this is my prisoner, and I think I should be allowed to observe your interrogation."

"Seriously?" Ryan began, but Beckett cut him off.

"No, it's okay, Ryan." She turned a cold steely look towards Demming. "Just to observe, right?" She threw back his earlier condition that she just observe when he questioned the witnesses at his precinct.

A look of resignation crossed Demming's face. "Fine."

All three entered Wagner's room. He was an average sized man, about five ten, but stocky. He was muscular, not overweight. He was twenty-seven and had been in and out of the system since he was a teenager. Kate had checked his record and found that he had a long list of prior arrests and convictions, small-time B and E, larceny, forgery, and various other misdemeanors to his credit. He had not been arrested for assault before today.

"Mr. Wagner, I'm Detective Beckett, this is Detective Ryan and Detective Demming." The man in the bed feigned sleep. Beckett had no time for this. She picked up the metal clipboard at the end of the bed and smacked the footboard with it. Wagner opened his eyes and practically jumped out of bed.

"Holy shit, lady!" He looked imploringly at the other men, but he found no sympathy there.

"Wagner. We know that you attacked Richard Castle in Central Park today. We know that you struggled to retrieve a box cutter that you dropped. We know that that was the same box cutter you used to slit Mandy Griffith's neck this afternoon."

He looked at his hands, the ceiling, the door, back to his hands. Anywhere, he'd look anywhere except at Beckett. She continued. "Why did you attack Mr. Castle?"

"The guy jumped me." It was barely audible.

"What?" Beckett was louder than necessary, Wagner startled in his bed.

"I said he jumped me." He still hadn't made eye contact. Kate noted that Demming looked hopeful.

"Really? Because we have several witnesses who say otherwise. They all say you initiated the fight. Why?"

"I don't know what…"

"I really don't have the patience for this." Beckett cut him off. "Wagner, you're going to prison for a long time. We have your prints on the murder weapon. We have video of you in the area." She paused to let her words sink in. "The only thing that might help you right now is cooperating with us." Ryan stepped forward with the file he was carrying. Beckett laid the photo of their suspect on the rolling table and pushed it in front of Wagner. Wagner looked down, but then averted his eyes to anything but the photo. Kate watched him and then she narrowed her eyes. He recognized her!

"Mr. Wagner? Who is this woman?" She got no response. "Mr. Wagner!" Wagner was in a tough spot and his mind was spinning. He was caught between two women: the detective in front of him and Patricia. The detective looked formidable but she was an unknown quantity. Patricia could hurt him. She had in the past. He asked himself, not for the first time, why he stayed with her. The answer was always because he loved her. He would do anything for her, anything she asked or demanded. He looked at the detective. She looked like she could hurt him too. Wagner sighed and answered, "I...I don't know her." He looked down at his bed sheets.

"Wagner, you do realize that she will not come back for you, don't you?" Kate saw his recognition and fear and she determined to use it against him. Wagner looked even more fearful as he considered her words. He was so confused. Patricia would come. She did not love him. He knew that. She loved the author. She always had. Wagner was just glad to be in her presence. She would reward him from time to time and that was enough for him. No the detective was wrong. She would come for him, but what if she didn't.

"You're wrong! Patricia needs me!"

Beckett smiled. "Patricia loves Castle, not you. She uses you. You're a loose end now."

"She doesn't use me. I help. I am valuable to her. She respects me." The desperate plea for acceptance and respect was evident in his shouts. He looked like a caged animal, pulling against his restraints.

"How do you help, Mr. Wagner?" Beckett remained calm but relentless.

His eyes wild, Wagner screamed "No! I won't." He looked at Beckett and finding no solace, to Demming and Ryan. "She'll hurt me! I…I can't!" he pled.

"Was Patricia jealous of Mandy Griffith? After all, she was in her way. Right? Mandy liked Castle, just like Patricia, but Patricia needed her out of the way." Beckett kept up the pressure and placed the picture of Mandy Griffith's dead body in front of him. He looked at her lifeless form; his eyes held a hint of remorse.

Beckett pounced. "Did you know Mandy?"

He shook his head and almost inaudibly said, "I just met her today. She was nice."

"Why did you kill her?"

He looked Beckett in the eyes. "I had to."

"What do you mean?"

"She…she'll punish me. I had to."

Beckett looked at Demming and Ryan. They were staring at Wagner. Ryan had a mixture of pity and disgust playing across his features. Demming looked bored.

Beckett continued to press, her voice quiet. "Wagner, the only way to keep Patricia happy is to help us find her."

He looked at her, considering. Beckett could see that he could fall either way, maybe just a little more pressure.

Then Demming spoke. "You might as well tell us, Patricia will only kill you next."

Kate wheeled around at him, incredulous at his stupidity.

Wagner, fear overcoming him, screamed, "No, no, no. I'm not saying anything. I get a lawyer. Don't I get a lawyer? I'm not talking." His heart monitor spiked at his apprehension and set off an alarm. A nurse entered the room and demanded that the three detectives leave immediately.

The three detectives, having no choice, exited to the hallway.

Ryan spoke as Beckett fumed. "Demming? What the hell was that?"

Demming defensively said, "I was just trying to get him to cave."

"Tom," Beckett's voice was controlled and low. "You may have lost us that lead." She shook her head and walked down the hallway leaving Demming there. Ryan followed, shooting Demming an angry glare.

Ryan caught up with her at the elevator. She was calling Esposito. "Yeah, Espo…not good. Run everything on Thomas Wagner again, but specifically look for someone…"

"Boss?" Ryan cut in pointing at his watch. It was nearing eleven. "I want to nail the guy too, but we'll start fresh in the morning." He would follow her anywhere, but she had a tendency to forget about things like sleep and food.

Kate resigned herself to the fact of the lateness of the hour. "Espo? Go home. We'll pick it up in the morning."

Ryan heard the "Got it."

I can't believe we're coming away empty after being so close." Ryan sympathetically stated. "We'll get him to roll, without Demming in the room."

"What the hell? It's just so frustrating." She sighed and it turned into a yawn. "I'll drop you back at the station and then you go home. I have to check on Castle anyway."

They left the hospital and got into her cruiser.

* * *

Patricia stood on the stoop of an old brownstone in the shadows. She watched the cops get in the car and drive away. How much did the fool tell them? She needed to find out. She had to find a way in. She would take care of Thomas herself. The idiot had hurt him even after she specifically told him not to. She put her trust in Thomas, even though she knew better. No man could be as good as Richard. She didn't know why they tried. Why was nothing ever easy?


	9. Patience

**A/N - Thanks for all the comments and reviews - you all are kind and generous in giving your time to write and the encouragement it brings to me. :-) Thanks again goes to my serial reviewers (I sincerely hope no one is Patricia) hfce, gostopow, TOROTOSUN & wendykw. Be warned - things are getting serious. Not only has Patricia come out of the shadows, but I freaked out today when my daughter wanted to use my murder board. Just kidding, it was a notebook. I think I may need some counseling after this story ends. Enjoy & Cheers!**

**The Castle Wall**

**Chapter 9**

**Patience**

She was resourceful. She was also smart and patient. Thomas had been a disappointment. Why is it that every time she trusted she would be betrayed? She shook her head. She moved from the shadows to the front of the hospital and lingered on the steps, facing the street. She took several deep breaths of cold October air and formulated a plan. She walked up the steps and into the hospital.

"May I help you?" The question came from the round African American woman at the reception desk.

_Show time._ Patricia began to cry, silent but real tears treaded down her cheeks.

"Oh, honey, what's wrong? Can I get you something?"

"My…my brother has been brought here." She sobbed. "He was in a fight. Oh, God, he is always getting into trouble and it's my fault. Our parents died when we were young, I did the best I could."

The woman was trying to sooth her. She came around the counter to put her arm around her. "It's okay, honey, let me help."

_Bingo. People were so gullible._ She kept up the act. "I…I just want to see him. I want to tell him I love him and that I'm sorry."

She headed back around her desk, eager to help this poor distraught woman. "What's his name, I'll look up his room number."

She drew in a long shuddering breath. "Thomas. Thomas Wagner." She sniffed. The woman handed her a tissue.

Patricia dabbed at her eyes while she waited for the information.

"He's in room 407, but that's the secure ward. No visitors. I'm so sorry sweetie."

Patricia sobbed again. "That's okay. I understand. Thank you so much for your kindness." She began to walk away, but then turned back. "Oh, when will he be released to go to jail?"

"Well, it's up to his doctor, but probably tomorrow or Monday."

"Thank you, I think I'll be able to visit him there." She sniffed again.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be more help." She called as Patricia walked out the front doors.

Patricia mumbled under her smile, "No, thank you, you've been very helpful." She had what she needed.

* * *

Kate dropped Kevin at the precinct to pick up his car. He leaned in the passenger door as he got out. His blue eyes earnest as he said. "Hey, we'll get him to roll tomorrow and then we'll take down this psycho Patricia character too."

She smiled reassuringly at him. "I know, thanks Ryan. Goodnight." He waved his goodbye and closed the door.

Kate drove her cruiser across town to Castle's loft. She had planned on going to her apartment in Gramercy Park tonight, but given the day's events, she needed to check on him first. She was pretty sure he'd be asleep or, if their earlier conversation were any indication, he'd actually be out cold. She parked her cruiser, picked up the case file and headed for the lobby.

Eduardo opened the door for her. "Good evening, Miss Beckett."

Smiling, Kate answered, "Hi Eduardo. I thought I asked you to call me Kate."

"It's still not my place miss." He gave her a shy smile then asked, "Mister Castle, is he okay? He looked pretty hurt when he came home, but not feeling any pain, yes?"

Kate raised an eyebrow and smirked. "That's what I understand. Thanks for helping to get him upstairs."

"Oh, no, miss. I could not help. Henry was on his break, but the cab driver helped Miss Alexis."

Kate looked alarmed. "Is he..."

"No, miss, he came right back down. Nice man."

Relieved, Kate thanked Eduardo as he pushed the elevator button for the fourth floor for her. The door opened and he said, "Goodnight, miss."

She rode up to his floor in silence. She reflected that silence didn't happen very often when she was with Castle. She smiled. He was so excited about everything all the time. She wondered how that would feel. Kate loved life but differently than he did. She held life in reverence, a thing to be observed and taken slowly and cautiously. She had seen so much pain. Castle wanted to feel everything, be a part of everything, and experience all that life had to offer, including the pain, fully. Hmm, she thought, that was a fundamental difference. She hoped that they could learn from each other. The elevator rumbled to a stop, noisily and she wondered, not for the first time, why this very high-end building had such a sub-par elevator. She stepped out and again it was silent, she smiled and enjoyed it. She got out her key and was about to put it in the lock when she heard it. A noise, definitely electronic. Her eyes swept around the hallway. Castle had it decorated similarly to the loft; it tied in, he told her. He said it had to do with first impressions. The building owners did not seem to mind and it was tasteful. She explored and listened until she spotted the source. There was a surveillance camera at the top left corner of the floor to ceiling window outside of his door, partially hidden by the draperies. Huh, she thought. Its position allowed it to capture the elevator doors and his door. "I wonder when they had that installed." She said it to herself, but aloud. Kate turned back to the lock and continued into the loft.

It was quiet and there were only a couple of lights on. She dropped her keys in the bowl on the table next to the door. She glanced at her Dad's watch. It read 11:35. She bent down to remove her shoes. She didn't want to wake anyone with her footfalls across the hardwood.

She started towards the office, but stumbled over something on the floor; she reached down and retrieved his wallet and its contents, which had emptied onto the floor. The cop in her made her check the contents. Credit cards, a ridiculous amount of cash, she sighed; honestly, who needed eleven hundred, seventy dollars with them. There was also pictures of Alexis, Martha and a goofy one of her, she squinted her eyes, screwed up her lips and groaned. She would have to replace that. There were a couple of Gina's business cards with numbers and notes on their backs and one of Paula's. It was not his writing on card and from the note; she could only assume it was from Paula. She wrote, "Dear Rick, Always remember, get your head out of your ass, and get back to work!" It was signed with a heart. There were red ink marks where he had corrected her grammar. She chuckled. She picked up his driver's license. The picture showed him grinning that lop-sided grin and the eye sparkle was there in full force. Kate wondered if he was flirting with the poor woman who took the picture or was it for the benefit of any female traffic cop who had the honor of pulling him over. Probably both, she laughed and put it away. There was a tiny slip of paper still on the floor. A fortune from a fortune cookie and from the looks of it, it was pretty old. It was just like him to put credence in a fortune cookie fortune. Probably lucky numbers, she thought sardonically. It was well worn and she could barely make out the printing in the dim light, _'The humble man knows that within every success there is the reality of failure.' _"Hmm," she hummed aloud and put it back in his wallet. He was always surprising her. She had so much to learn about him. She walked silently through the office, stopped at the safe to lock up her shield and her gun and then continued to the bedroom. She placed his wallet on the dresser, by the mahogany box where he kept his cuff links. She cocked her head to the side as she took in the scene on the bed, humor, and affection playing on her features.

He was lying across the bed, mostly on it, but she knew his legs would be aching from hanging off the side. He was still fully clothed except for his shoes. He was out, sleeping hard on his back and tangled up in the extra blanket he normally kept on the armchair. He was snoring and it was not his adorable little boy snore, this was window rattling. Kate hadn't heard him do that before now. Oh, it had certainly been a day full of revelations. She went to the bed to try to position him a little more comfortably but stopped as she looked at his face. The bruises were in full bloom. Even in the semi-darkness of the room, she could see what he had been through today. It made her heart ache. He was hurt and she could not stop it or prevent it. She smoothed his hair off his face and started to untangle him from the blankets.

He was instantly awake. "What? What's going on?" He yelled it, loudly. He sat up but grimaced as he twisted his bruised ribs. "Ow!"

"Rick, it's okay, it's Kate." Her voice was low and calming.

"Kate?" He focused on her, but was distracted trying to get his arms free of the blanket. She put her hands on his shoulders and shushed him. She unwound the blanket and tossed it onto the chair.

"Kate? I don't feel so good." He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands, flinching when the bandages rubbed together.

"I know." She looked at him with compassion. Her writer boy should not be getting into fistfights and having to deal with the consequences. "I don't think the pain pills are doing you any favors. You are going to have a hell of a hangover tomorrow. Let's get you ready for bed." At her last statement, he leered at her and waggled his eyebrows. She said, "You've got to be kidding me. I don't think you're in any condition for sex."

"Detect…Detecti…Kate, I am in complete control of my…um…my…" She started undressing him. He stared at the wall. "What was I saying?"

She raised an eyebrow and smiled at him. "Uh huh, complete control." She took off his dress shirt and pants. The former made more difficult by him spinning around and insisting he could do it. He finally relinquished control and she had him stripped down to his boxers and tee shirt and lying, with his head on his pillows, this time, all the way on the bed. She pulled up the duvet over him and sat down on the edge of the bed. "I'm really glad you're okay," she whispered in his ear.

He was looking at her, but his eyes were unfocused. "Did you see the…"

"Did I see what?"

"Nothin…there was juss someone here…Lexiss didn't see him either," he slurred and then, in seconds, was back asleep.

"Good night." She said as she leaned down to kiss him. Puzzling. What was that about? Kate went into the en-suite bathroom to get herself ready for bed, she took off her makeup, shrugged into his 'Ruht Ro' Scooby Doo tee shirt, but his final words were gnawing at her. "Someone was here?" She told herself that she was just on edge. She sighed and went to the bed. She lay down, but quickly realized that it was going to keep her awake. 'There was someone here.' The statement hung in the dark space above the bed mocking her attempts to put it out of her mind, let alone sleep. He probably was imagining things, but she decided to walk through the loft. After the couple of days they had, no one would blame her. Kate got up and quietly retrieved her gun from the safe and began her exploration.

He turned on lights in his office, walked all the way around the desk and headed out into the living room. She checked and double-checked all the shadowy places that the darkened loft held. When she turned to the steps, she thought of calling it off. It was late. It was her nerves. She was being over-protective. Her mind was trying to reason with her instincts. Kate usually let her instincts win. So she continued. She crept up the stairs, acutely aware of every sound, and every distortion of the reflected light and shadow she saw, real or imagined. _Breathe, Kate, just get a grip._ She walked down the hall to Alexis' room and opened the door. Alexis was on her bed, but not sleeping.

"Kate?" Alexis sat up. "What's…" She noticed the gun and got out of bed. "Oh, my gosh Kate, what's going on?"

Kate put her fingers to her lips to shush her and finished her sweep of the second floor. She went back to Alexis' room. "I'm so sorry, Alexis. I had to be sure that the loft was secure. Your dad mumbled something about someone being here and I'm a little bit on edge."

"Kate, it's okay. Yeah, Dad had me going too. He seemed so sure he saw someone. "Um…Kate? Are we in danger?" She asked apprehensively.

Kate smiled at the girl. "No, I don't think so. I think we'll be fine." Kate debated about whether she should tell Alexis about the crazy fan, but decided that she would only upset her. "I think we should both stop listening to your father's drug induced paranoia and try to get some sleep."

Alexis sighed. "Okay." With that, she walked back to her bed. "Good night, Kate."

"Good night, Alexis." She called and then she shut her door.

Kate walked down the steps and over to the front door, double-checked that it still was locked, and went back into the office to stow her gun. She made her way back to the bedroom and snuggled in next to Castle, who was still snoring. She was settling down when he murmured, "Zombies…Beckett…CIA zombies.." She smiled and tucked in for sleep.

* * *

Patricia waited outside of a delivery entrance to the hospital. You see, hospitals have rules about which doors can be opened and which ones shouldn't be opened, you know, for security, but the people that work at hospitals aren't really concerned with security, they're care givers, they always think the best of humanity. She just had to wait until someone came out for a smoke. It wasn't a very long wait. A nurse came out and lit up. This was Patricia's lucky day. The nurse was roughly the same build and height as Patricia. She smiled, two birds, one brick. She hefted the brick up over her head as she quickly came up from behind the unsuspecting nicotine addict. She hit her once across the back of the head causing her to crumple to the ground. She dragged her behind the dumpster and began undressing her. She put on the scrubs over her skinny jeans and sweater and took her ID and keys. She studied the ID and drew her hair back into a ponytail, just as Nurse, she checked the badge, uh…Creasey wore hers. She quickly went inside; there was not much time. The delivery entrance was located near an elevator and a stairwell. She opted for the stairs; even on the graveyard shift when there were fewer people working, most people would ride the elevator. She hurriedly ascended the steps to the fourth floor and peered out of the reinforced glass in the door. There was a nurse at the desk on the far end of the corridor. Thomas' room must be the one with the guard. Security, she noted, not NYPD. She calmed her breathing. Patience. She had patience and would only need to wait a few minutes.

Her break came when the night nurse asked the guard for help moving the vending machine away from the wall in the break room. It seems some papers had slipped behind it. The guard looked around and decided that at one-thirty in the morning he could help her. She smiled, her eyes cold, "They are making this too easy," she thought as she silently prowled down the hall to room 407. She opened the door, slipped in, and locked it behind her.

"You are weak and pathetic." She snarled at the sleeping figure. Wagner stirred under the influence of his medication. Patricia approached the bed with an extra pillow left on the chair. "Thomas, you hurt him. I told you not to hurt him." She emphasized each syllable as she brought the pillow down over his face. He opened his eyes just in time to see her there. He struggled, but she held it tight. Then he lay still. She removed the pillow and closed his eyes. She unlocked and then peeked out of the door, the guard had yet to return, but she could hear him laughing in the break room. She exited his room quietly and left through the stairwell. She discarded the scrubs, keys and ID in a waste receptacle on the first floor and exited out the delivery entrance.

Patricia breathed in the clean cold autumn air as she walked down Fifth Avenue. It was time for bed.


	10. Awakening

**A/N - Thanks for all the comments and reviews - I appreciate the time you take to jot a message of encouragement :-) To my serial reviewers: hfce, ****TOROTOSUN & wendykw - Thanks for being there. Special shout out to wendykw for pointing out a device that needed clarification. **

**Shameless self-promotion time. Check out my other stories & let me know what you think in a review. I promise you that The Castle Wall is the most disturbing.**

**Enjoy & Cheers!**

**The Castle Wall**

**Chapter 10**

**Awakening**

Castle opened his eyes and immediately regretted it. Darkness and pain. There was faint light filtering through the drapes. Not yet morning. He scrubbed his hand over his face and swung his legs over the side of the bed as he sat up. "Ow, oh God."

"Castle?" Beckett's sleepy voice came from the darkness on her side of the bed.

"Ouch. Sorry, Kate. I didn't mean to wake you."

"Where are you hurting?"

He pressed his lips together in a painful frown. "Pretty much everywhere." He tried to stand up, but fell back to the bed, pulling his arms in tight around his ribcage. It hurt to breathe. Kate got up and hurried around the bed.

"Let me help you."

Castle sat there contemplating his options. Finally, he sighed and looked up at her. He put up his hands in front of him and she pulled. "Kate, ow…Kate, oof…Kate" He huffed out her name as he stumbled and tried not to fall again. She grabbed his waist. "Aw!"

"Castle. Just. Stop. Let me…" and then he was still, standing, but leaning on her for support with his eyes closed, shallowly breathing.

"Rick, where?"

"The bathroom, I won't need your help in there." He was stony faced. For someone who craved attention, he sure did not like accepting help when he needed it. They hobbled together the few feet to the bathroom. She left him at the door. After a few minutes, she knocked.

"Castle?" There was no response. "Rick? Are you okay?" She knocked again. The door opened up a couple of inches. He was standing in front of the mirror inspecting his injuries. "Hey."

He looked at her. "Why didn't it hurt this much earlier?"

"Probably the adrenaline and then the pills. You were feeling no pain. You know you can take another now, if you need it."

"No thanks, I'm not sure what was happening earlier, but I don't think it was pretty. I vaguely remember murdering Billy Joel." Kate smiled. There were the self-depreciating, coping jokes.

"I hadn't heard that." She made a mental note to ask Alexis about it.

"What time is it?"

She looked at her phone. "It's only five."

"Jeez. Let's go back to bed." He said it as he eased himself back down onto the soft pillow top mattress. She waited until he was settled and then snuggled into his side. She listened to his heartbeat slowing and his breathing until it evened out, finally back to sleep, content that he was once again resting, she let herself drift into oblivion. It was in that space between awake and asleep when she heard the door open.

Kate instantly tensed. Castle felt her and responded. "Wha?" His sleep heavy voice asked.

"Kate?" Alexis poked her head in the doorway. Kate breathed a sigh of relief. They were all so edgy.

"Pumpkin? Everything okay?" Castle was mostly asleep

"Yeah, dad, go back to sleep. Kate?" Kate slipped out of bed and followed Alexis to the office.

* * *

Alexis turned around. "I heard dad yelling. Is he okay?" Kate marveled at the teen's ability to put concern for her father first. When she was seventeen, she was a self-centered, arrogant know-it-all. She honestly did not know how her parents put up with her.

"He woke up disoriented and in pain. He'll be fine." She took the girl's hand in hers.

"Thanks, Kate, I'm just a little freaked out about everything that happened and when he got home and you, with your gun and…" Kate pulled her into a hug.

"Its okay, Alexis. We are all a little over-tired and stressed. As soon as we wrap this case, it'll be better." She released her and smiled warmly.

Alexis took a deep cleansing breath and smiled back. "I think I'll try to go back to bed for a little while. See you in the morning."

"Good idea." Kate went back to the bedroom to come upon the window-rattling snores. She hoped that they were a by-product of his facial injuries and not a permanent addition to their bedroom. Maybe going back to bed was overrated. She snuggled next to him and decided to make the best of it.

* * *

Patricia walked up the stairs to her apartment automatically. It was late and there was still so much to accomplish. She walked through her apartment towards the bedroom, sliding her hand across the writer's desk lovingly. She strode across her bedroom to her closet, unlocked the locks, and opened the door. She glanced at the video feed, but at this hour, she'd have been surprised to see anyone there. She flipped open her new copy of _Heat Rises_ and read,

_'To Kate, Hang in there. With perseverance, you will get whatever you set your heart on. ~ Rick Castle'_

She smiled to herself and put the book on the shelf. He didn't know how right he was. This was her third copy, but the first one he signed to Kate. His whole face lit up when she told him that her name was Kate.

She thought back to the afternoon. It was a beautiful day. There were larger crowds than expected for the Mystery, Mayhem, and Murder Convention. It had been amusing. Patricia and Thomas had gone together. She was waiting in Richard's line. It was a long wait, but there was a clear view of the table, some women were flirting with him. Actually, all of the women were flirting. They were all just wasting their time. The line moved slowly. She saw the detective go up to the table. Then the two of them, Richard, and the detective went into a trailer. While they were all waiting for him to come back out, fans started talking to each other. 'Have you read it? What did you think of the plot? Or 'Have you been over to check out the new writer Buchanan?' Others, 'What was taking so long?' The conversation that caught Patricia's ear that afternoon was that of a young woman and her friend.

"Mandy, the guy's not even here. Why are you still in line?"

"He said he'd be right back, Laura. Have a little patience."

"I don't like his books. Too many sub-plots, twists, and subtext that you need to decipher. I like a straight forward mystery that I can solve from the evidence presented."

"Boring," she said waving her hand in front of a manufactured yawn. "Richard Castle's books are amazing. He totally draws you in and you genuinely care for his characters and what happens to them."

"Patterson's stories have some decent twists, but he doesn't much of a line." Laura gestured to James Patterson's display.

"Yeah, I like the Alex Cross books, but seriously, have you seen Richard Castle? Oh, my, gosh, I could die in those eyes. I just have to meet him. I want to tell him of my plan to teach using his stories." She shyly looked at her friend, "maybe he needs to do 'research', "she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "I would be a willing participant in that endeavor."

Patricia was twisting the schedule she held in her hand as she listened. Thomas had just come wandering up to her. She waited patiently.

"Where the hell is he?" Thomas derided. He made a repulsed face. He knew he would always be second to the great Richard Castle, whom he vehemently hated. Thomas' passion for Patricia matched her passion for the writer. She just did not see it. He knew she used him for sex and other services and that was usually enough, but being here with the guy made his resentment surface. "We've got to wait in a line for God knows how long and he's not even here?" He whined at her. Patricia just stared at him, her lips thinning out as she controlled her anger and her hand.

Richard emerged from the trailer looking, um…not refreshed or rested, but disheveled. Oh, she thought. She ground her teeth together. What the hell was she thinking? Of course, he was with her. Her anger intensified as she continued to eavesdrop on Mandy and Laura.

"Oh my gosh, Laura, there he is." Patricia overheard. "Handsome, rich and talented. I need me some of that!" The girls giggled. It was too much for Patricia. She kept her eye on 'Mandy'.

The line was moving again. Patricia watched as, one after another and another, the women melted before him. It was almost too much to take. Her heart was racing against her ribs, her hands and face became sweaty. She was having trouble catching her breath. She watched the interaction between that Mandy girl, and Richard. She was talking to him. He was listening, smiling, and talking back to her. Patricia was desperate to eavesdrop but between the pounding of her pulse and Thomas' whining she only caught Richard wishing her good luck and…

He kissed her hand.

She felt her heart rate drop. She calmed down. She turned to Thomas. He wasn't surprised to see the coldness in her eyes and he knew what it meant. He would have to prove himself, his worth, and his love to her, again.

"That one. She's too close." She said in his ear, nodding her head in Mandy's direction. "Make it quick, away from people, don't leave any witnesses, but don't hurt him."

Thomas nodded his understanding and followed Mandy down the bank to Turtle Pond to wait for his chance.

Patricia's heart jumped again. She was next. Her eyes flashed anger again as he smiled at the woman ahead of her in line. She took a breath and moved forward.

Rick looked up at the next woman and gave her his best affable smile. She was a nice looking young woman. He appreciated the fire in her eyes. He chuckled to himself as he thought that she might have been the type of woman who would have gotten a private signing before Beckett. It wasn't even a consideration now. It couldn't be.

"Hi. Thanks so much for coming out today." He stopped and really looked at her, curiosity, and recognition in his scrutiny. "Have we met before?"

Patricia couldn't contain her excitement and gushed. "No. I mean, not officially. I've been a fan for a long time. Your entire career. You're just so great."

Rick raised his eyebrows. "Well, it couldn't have been as long as I've been writing," his eyes crinkled at the corners in amusement, "you don't look old enough." Charm dripped from every word. "Are you okay? You look a little pale." He made an apologetic face, indicated the line, and continued. "I'm sorry you had to wait so long."

Patricia was beside herself. She had never had such a long conversation with him before. Furthermore, what was that? He was concerned about her. She controlled her breathing. "I'm fine, but thanks. I'm working on something and I'm not sure if I can get it finished. There's always something that gets in the way." Her smile exuded adulation.

Rick registered the look. He had seen it before. He glanced at the security guard at the end of the table. Patricia handed him a new copy of Heat Rises. "Wow, hadn't seen a copy of this today. So, to whom shall I make this out?"

Patricia bit her lip and watched him carefully as she quietly said, "Kate."

His head whipped up, his whole face alight. "I love that name." He opened her book and wrote. She watched his every move. After a moment, he handed her the book and said, "It was a pleasure meeting you, again, Kate. Enjoy the rest of the convention." He smiled at her again and looked to the person next in line. She stared into his eyes for just a minute too long. She felt someone take her arm. She looked up at a man. It took a second for her to register, through her euphoria, that he was security and he was asking her to leave. She snatched away from him and disappeared into the crowd.

The memory of her dismissal from his table brought her back to the present. She reached into her bag and took out her camera. She opened her laptop, pushed the SD card into the slot, and uploaded today's pictures. She had gotten so many. She loved days when he was at a public event. She scrolled through the files. She had managed to take photos of Alexis, Paula, and the detective. She printed several. He was glorious today. Laughing, meeting people, he truly looked happy. She continued to scroll. She had several photos from the reading. She caught her breath as she remembered his voice. She closed her eyes and could almost hear him. She inspected the pictures closely and was annoyed that she couldn't use them. Although Richard had tried to cover it up, Patricia could see the bruising left by Thomas. She gritted her teeth. "Buffoon." She would not have to worry about him any longer. She put any thought of Thomas out of her mind. She had printing to do.

Patricia finished printing her candid photos and hung them on her wall. Some she cut out ad some she left intact. She paused at the picture of Richard with the detective. She opened the table's drawer and pulled out a red sharpie marker. She circled the detectives face, repeatedly. She was breathing heavily as she marked up the photo when something in the monitor caught her attention. Patricia's eyes flicked to the video monitor. She strained to see. "Who is that?" Someone she did not recognize was there. She thought she knew everyone who visited his apartment. He was becoming harder and harder to control. She watched as the person, who was dressed in jeans, a baggy hoodie and a jean jacket, bent down and slipped something under his door. The person rose and turned to leave, but did not use the elevator. They took the stairs.

* * *

Somewhere there was a noise. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it was insistent. It stopped, but then it started again. Kate slowly recognized the sound as her phone. She raised her head and fumbled to answer it.

"Mm, yeah…Beckett."

Esposito smirked. "Hey boss, you up?"

"Um, yeah, yeah. What's up?"

Ryan picked up the conversation. "Ya know, if eleven is too early for you, we could call back at a more civilized time."

"Eleven?" She heard sniggering on the line. "All right comedians, what's this about?"

"Actually Beckett, "Javi continued seriously, "Wagner is dead."

"What?" Kate bellowed it out, instantly awake. Castle limped in from his office, concern etching his features. Kate held up her palm and shook her head at his unasked question.

"Yeah, we got a call from Demming early this morning." Ryan picked up the ball. "Apparently someone clobbered a nurse, stole her clothes, ID badge, and keys, made their way to his room, and smothered him."

"Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy." Espo added.

"He was our lead." Frustration poured out of Kate. She ran her hand through her hair. "Video?"

"Yes, but she is turned away. No face shots." Kevin supplied.

Espo said, "She knew exactly where the cameras were, but Beckett? Same build as our Patricia."

"Where the hell was the guard? Wasn't that the secure ward?" Kate could not believe this was slipping through her fingers.

"Central Park. Budget cuts. Hires a private firm for overnight gigs."

She shut her eyes. "Do you need me to come to the hospital? Because frankly, I think I would kill Demming."

Espo chuckled, "No boss. We got this."

Ryan added, "The investigation, not Demming's murder."

"Right. Let me know if anything helpful turns up." She hung up and looked over at an inquisitive Castle who had sat down on his side of their bed while she was on the phone.

She exhaled and explained to him that their only lead was dead. She brought him up to speed on all of their findings from last night: including the connection between Mandy's killer and Gina.

He put it together. "Oh crap! Then it does tie back to me." She could see the realization of the implications in his expression. His eyes registered shock and then remorse finally followed by determination. "Who is Patricia?"

"I think we've got a picture from the alley where Gina…" She let the rest drop. He was so prone to shouldering the guilt.

"And she and Wagner were working together? Why?" He was puzzling it out. She loved watching his mind work.

"I don't know."

"I mean, I would do almost anything for you Kate, but I don't think you could get me to murder someone. Did he say why Mandy Griffiths?"

She shook her head. She took his hand. "Don't let it get to you. C'mon, I need some coffee. She got up and led him to the kitchen.

Rick headed to the coffee maker and Kate sat down on one of the stools. Alexis, who was had been curled up on the couch, enjoying a lazy Sunday, got up and walked over to the breakfast bar. "Good morning, Kate. Dad, how're you feeling?"

"Better, pumpkin, thanks. It was a memorable night. I mean, look at these badges of honor all over my face. Yep, your old man's a bad ass now." Alexis performed a very Beckett-esque eye roll. Castle frowned and said, "Nnoooo. Wow." He shuddered, raised an eyebrow, and then grinned at her. "That was just like Kate's."

He kissed her on the top of her head. "Da-ad."

He pursed his lips. "You started it," he called and she headed up the stairs.

The front door opened and Martha stepped over the threshold with the newspaper. She stopped to pick up an envelope and breezed over to the kitchen. "Good morning, darlings!"

"Hi Martha." Kate said while leaning over to accept Martha's air kiss to her cheek.

"Kate, you're looking lovely," she raised an eyebrow and knowing humor danced in her eyes, "and sleepy." Kate lowered her gaze.

Rick, who had been pouring himself another cup of coffee, came to her rescue. "Mother," he began as he was turning around, "You look lovely today. May I get you a cup…?" She cut him off.

"Richard!" She shrieked, "What happened?"

"Oh, nothing, really, I was jumped in the park."

"Oh, my poor dear." She came around the counter trying to comfort her son. He waved her off.

"Mother, I'm fine, just a little sore."

Martha looked at Kate. "I'm assuming it was a mugging?" Then turning to Rick added, "He probably beat you up and took off…"

Rick closed his eyes and pursed his lips. It was his long-suffering look. He had perfected it. He would need it as long as his mother was around to 'keep him grounded' as she put it.

"Actually, Martha," Kate interjected before the older woman could say anymore, "Rick, put the assailant in the hospital." Castle heard where Beckett was going and started shaking his head and crossing his hands in the air behind his mother's back.

"Richard?!" She turned to face him. Now he looked guilty. Another Martha Rodgers inspired look.

"Mother, he was a murder suspect and I was only defending myself."

Martha closed her eyes and executed what Rick referred to as the 'Rodgers stealth eye roll'. Eyes closed, but rolling, nonetheless. She opened her eyes and looked right into his. "Well, despite the man being a brigand, I hope that he does recover, for your sake."

Rick looked to the floor.

"Oh goodness." She looked at Kate. "He's not going to?" She left the question dangling in the air.

"It's complicated, Martha. Someone murdered him last night. It didn't have to do with any injuries that Rick caused."

She looked back and forth between them. Apparently, convinced, she pulled Rick into a hug. "Oh my son, my son." He contorted his face at Kate over his mother's head and grunted in her embrace. He hissed a sharp intake of air and said, "Ribs," as he spun his way out of her ministrations.

He turned around to get her coffee.

"Here, I brought in your paper." She hefted the bulky Sunday New York Times onto his counter top. The plain envelope was sitting on top of it.

"What's this?" He asked as he delivered her drink.

"I'm sure I don't know kiddo. It was on the floor with the paper." She took a sip of her coffee.

Castle looked at the envelope. He scowled: his name was written on the outside in ink. If it had been from the paper, it would have had a label or it would have been directly printed onto the envelope. Actually, he thought, they would have mailed it. He dropped the envelope back onto the counter. Kate caught the sudden movement and stopped looking at the front page of the paper.

"Rick is everything…" She let it drift; he had run to the office. She started to follow, but he emerged putting on latex gloves. "Castle?" He explained his reasoning to Beckett and picked up the envelope again. He held it up to the light, but couldn't see anything except a piece of paper.

Martha discounted his precautions as being overly dramatic. "Really, Richard, aren't you being a little, oh, I don't know, over-the-top?" There it was. Her son's expression signaling she had reached his tolerance level of maternal annoyance. She backed down, "Never mind, I didn't say a thing."

He looked at Kate for assurance and began to open the envelope with a paring knife. He slid the knife along the fold. He peered cautiously into the envelope and pulled out the paper. He opened it and began to read.

Dear Richard, it began. He looked at Kate, swallowed, and continued.


End file.
